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Zihni Göktay laid to rest in Istanbul ceremony
Veteran actor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality City Theatres, Zihni Göktay, was laid to rest at Karacahmet Cemetery following a memorial ceremony at the Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage. Many figures from the arts world attended the ceremony.
Zihni Göktay, veteran actor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) City Theatres, was laid to rest in a ceremony following his death at the age of 80.
Memorial Ceremony at Harbiye
A memorial ceremony held at the İBB Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage was attended by many figures from the art world. Speaking at the ceremony, the artist's daughter Zeynep Göktay Dilbaz said her father was passionate about his profession and devoted to his family, and she read a letter he had written when he first started acting.
İBB Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan emphasized that Göktay remained on stage for nearly 66 years, saying, "He dedicated his life to art. He found a place in all of our minds and hearts, and through all this, he never once abandoned his gentleness and modesty." Aslan said Göktay performed in 72 different plays on the City Theatres stage and became synonymous with the play "Lüküs Hayat". He also read a letter of condolence from Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Emrah Özertem, Deputy General Artistic Director of İBB City Theatres, said Göktay was everyone's "Zihni abi" (elder brother Zihni), and that he taught and guided many young artists.
Actor Hikmet Körmükçü, noting that she shared the same stage with Göktay for 53 years, said, "We cried together, we laughed, we felt great joy. I will miss his jokes, his anecdotes, and the way he used to drive me crazy on stage."
Actor Hakan Altıner said that as part of the "Pillars of Our Theatre" project they launched last week, they had planned to cast Göktay in Ahmet Kutsi Tecer's play "Köşebaşı" (Street Corner), but this did not materialize. Altıner announced that "Köşebaşı" would raise its curtain in memory of Zihni Göktay on the evening of October 28.
Also at the ceremony, retired City Theatres artist Uğurtan Atakan, conductor Ertan Ergül, and musician Selim Atakan shared their feelings.
Funeral Prayer and Burial
A funeral prayer was held for Göktay, who had been taken to hospital the previous day after falling ill and died at the age of 80, at the Üsküdar Şakirin Mosque at noon. Condolences were accepted by his children Zeynep Göktay Dilbaz and Ömer Göktay.
The funeral ceremony saw heavy attendance, with many figures from the culture and arts world present alongside the veteran actor's relatives and loved ones.
Speaking to reporters, Zeynep Göktay Dilbaz highlighted her father's passion for theatre, saying, "My father always used to say, 'Theatre puts bread on the table, television puts köfte on the table.' He was a man deeply in love with his profession." Dilbaz said her father sowed beautiful seeds in many people's hearts and left them a great surname as a legacy.
Artist Hikmet Körmükçü, noting that Göktay had been her friend and stage partner for 53 years, said, "It still feels like a joke, but condolences to all theatre lovers in Turkey." Artist Yavuz Karakaş also shared fond memories of Göktay.
The veteran artist's body was buried at Karacahmet Cemetery following the prayer.
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