At age 73: Musician Gary Eckstein passed away Israel today

Musician Gary Eckstein, one of the greatest Israeli guitarists of all time, passed away today (Monday) after a long battle with kidney disease.

He was 73 at the time of his death.

Eckstein was born in 1948 and already in his youth began to play the guitar, and took part in a number of ensembles such as climbers, rhythm conquerors and others.

Since the mid-1970s, he has become a household name in the Israeli music industry, gaining appreciation for his guitar playing abilities.

His first hit, "Captain Jack", was released in March 1977 and is still considered an Israeli classic.

Following the success of the single, Eckstein released his first album, "Cycle I 5737," later that year. "Today is today" and others.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Eckstein worked with a number of big names in the Israeli music industry, including Zvika Pick, Zohar Argov, Arik Einstein, Arik Sinai and Shlomo Artzi, with whom he recorded the song "Suddenly When You Didn't Come".

In those years he also worked with Mazi Cohen, Ofra Haza, Shalom Hanoch, Yigal Bashan, Miri Aloni and Yehudit Ravitz, with whom he worked on the album "The Silk Road".

In the 90s he did little musical work, but in the early 2000s his name came to mind again, and he released a number of albums of original material.

In 2008 he suffered a stroke that impaired his motor skills.

A year later, a tribute evening was held for him with the participation of many artists.

In recent years, his health has deteriorated, due to the stroke and, as mentioned, the kidney disease he suffered from.

In a 2018 interview with Maariv, he said: "I am fighting for my life, and the only thing I wish for myself is to live a little longer."

In an interview he said at the time that as of that time, only 7 percent of his kidneys were functioning.

Eckstein left behind a wife and two daughters.