Legendary Armenian duduk player Jivan Gasparyan passed away today aged 92, his grandson informs.

“The world has suffered unimaginable loss tonight. Not only an icon, but a beautiful soul. May he rest in peace,” Jivan Gasparyan Jr. said in a Facebook post.

Born in Solak , Armenia to parents from Mush, Gasparyan started to play duduk when he was six. In 1948, he became a soloist of the Armenian Song and Dance Popular Ensemble and the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has won four medals at UNESCO worldwide competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973 Gasparyan was awarded the honorary title People’s Artist of Armenia. In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Honorary citizen of Yerevan.