Prominent Egyptian singer Amr Diab has cancelled his concert tour in Germany scheduled for May 27 due to the sudden death of his life long friend Ashraf Foad, the drummer in his band.

The singer apologized to his German fans, stating that he did not want to perform out of respect for his dear friend.

Ashraf was playing squash with Amr, when Foad suffered a heart attack.

Before the tragedy, Diab was preparing to film a new music video “Wihkaytak Aih” (What Is Your Story) under the direction of Sharif Sabri, business manager of controversial singer Ruby. Filming was scheduled to begin in May.

The singer and the director refused to reveal any details regarding the clip, stressing they want to keep it a surprise for Amr’s fans.

Diab decided to screen his latest music video for the song “Wi Malo” (What If) in cinema houses across Egypt, a precedent for an Arab music video.

Amr filmed the clip in London with a budget of over 2 million Egyptian pounds under the direction of two international directors, who directed clips for Sting.

Critics have described the clip as one of the best in Arabic music history.

© 2006 Al Bawaba