Renowned author, poet and songwriter Raymond Mahoney has passed away, aged 74.
Born in St Julian’s in 1949, Mahoney began his career as a journalist with the Union Press and eventually became an award-winning songwriter in 1983 for his rock opera Ġensna which was performed over 40 times.
That same year, Mahoney was also chosen as poet of the year.
In 1991, Mahoney’s musical prowess was seen on the international Eurovision stage as his song Could It Be came in sixth place at the contest hosted in Rome. The song was performed by Paul Giordimaina and Georgina.
The following year, Mahoney’s song Little Child, performed by Mary Spiteri, came third at Sweden’s Eurovision Contest in 1992.
However, Mahoney’s literary skill did not only lie in music. The author published several poetry anthologies over the years including Mwieġ (1994) while also publishing novels and short stories such as U x-Xitwa Fadlilha Ġimgħa (1982), Meta r-riħ Jonfoh Kontra (1985) and Susanna (1989).
Published in 1982, the writer’s rock opera Ġensna took the island by storm, marking Mahoney as one of the island’s greatest literary and lyrical powers.
“A heartfelt farewell to my friend Ray Mahoney, a poet with total control of the Maltese word,” former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant wrote on Facebook.
In the post, Sant described Mahoney as one who was able to calmly and gently express his opinions while calling Ġensna a “marvellous testament to his skill in using the Maltese language”.
Others including Culture Minister Owen Bonnici and Prime Minister Robert Abela took to social media to express their condolences following the news.
“The death of Ray Mahoney closes another chapter for great artists who were so strong and brave they changed the course of not only art in our country but society as a whole,” Bonnici wrote.
Bonnici said that Mahoney’s works such as Ġensna, Little Child and Tema’ 79 will remain immortalised in the hearts and minds of the Maltese and Gozitan populations.
Also once an ex-ONE radio host, Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said farewell to her colleague on Facebook.
“It was my pleasure to have worked so closely with you when you lent us your unique voice,” she wrote.