Yemeni oud legend Ahmed Alshaiba dies in New York car crash

Yemeni musician and social media star Ahmed Alshaiba died in a traffic accident in New York on Wednesday, sources close to his family have confirmed to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Alaraby Aljadeed.

Alshaiba, 32, was renowned oud player, having garnered more than 800,000 subscribers on YouTube.

His oud covers of Western and Arabic pop hits by artists including Ed Sheeran, Adele, Cheb Khaled and Amr Diab, among others, drew millions of views and introduced thousands of people to the traditional stringed Arabic instrument.

Fans across the world paid tribute to Alshaiba on social media after news of his death broke.

Just heard that Ahmed Alshaiba passed away in NYC yesterday…so sad and shocking. His music is some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard in my life. He was so deeply talented, performed in Brooklyn, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and was listened to across the world. الله يرحمه 😓❤️ pic.twitter.com/LxtSMJFzI0

— أبرار (@Abrardts) September 29, 2022

"Listening to his oud to get through so many assignments… Ahmed Alshaiba may Allah have peace on your soul and grant you Jannah. Your passion made us proud and your oud continue to give many peace of mind and melt the ice of ghurba in our hearts for home," said one Twitter user.

"His music is some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard in my life. He was so deeply talented, performed in Brooklyn, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and was listened to across the world," said another.

Born in June 1990 and raised in Yemen, Allshaiba had learned to play the oud by ear, rather than through musical notes. He moved to the US in 2012, where he wanted to "show the world the beauty" of the oud.

His last album, 'Malahide', was released on 8 August and included 10 piece played on the oud.