Greek singer and actress Kaiti Grey (birth name: Athanasia Gizili) passed away today, Sunday, January 19, at the age of 100 in her home in Nea Smyrni, Athens. A significant figure in Greek popular music (Laiko), Grey’s life and career spanned a century, leaving an indelible mark on Greek culture.
Early life
Born on May 14, 1924, during Greece’s interwar period, Grey hailed from the island of Samos. Coming from a poor family, she was adopted and raised by the Kalaitzis family in Piraeus. Her artistic journey began as an actress, performing with Greek actress Rita Tsakona’s troupes, before transitioning into music.
Grey started her singing career alongside composer Yiannis Vellas, a member of the famed troupe I Mantra tou Attik.
Musical Career
Her breakthrough came in 1952 with the recording of To Marazi, composed by rebetiko and folk songwriter Giorgos Mitsakis. The song’s success catapulted her into stardom, making her a leading figure in the Laiko music genre. During the 1960s, Grey was among the highest-paid singers in Greece, earning over 8,000 drachmas daily—an extraordinary sum at the time.
Grey performed in Athens’ most prominent music venues and collaborated with some of the greatest composers and lyricists of her era, including:
- Composers: Markos Vamvakaris, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Yiannis Papaioannou, Giorgos Mitsakis, Thodoros Derveniotis, and Christos Kolokotronis.
- Lyricists and Artists: Eftychia Papagiannopoulou, Babis Bakalis, Giorgos Zambetas, Panos Tzavellas.
Kaiti Grey and Panos Tzavellas.
She also shared the stage with legendary singers like Roza Eskenazi, Stratos Payoumtzis, Stelios Kazantzidis, Grigoris Bithikotsis, Poly Panou, Mary Linda, and Stratos Dionysiou.
Greek popular music singers from left to right: Poly Panou, Mary Linda and Kaiti Grey.
Back in 1997, during an interview for the magazine “Difono” Grey had expressed her admiration for these musical figures with the following: “I had the chance to meet Tsitsanis, Papaioannou, Keromytis, Chatzichristos, and Markos Vamvakaris… the most beautiful music, the most beautiful songs ever created, which will remain forever in history—these are the people who wrote and created them. Despite being mostly illiterate and not formally trained in music, they poured their souls into everything they created. What they wrote, what they made, they truly felt.”
Personal Life
Grey was married twice, first to Nikos Iliadis, with whom she had two sons, and later to Michalis Papanastasopoulos. One of her most notable personal relationships was with renowned composer Stelios Kazantzidis, to whom she was later engaged. Their romance is partly depicted in Kazantzidis’s biopic Yparho, currently screening in Greek cinemas and considered a blockbuster.
Legacy and International Success
Over her career, Grey recorded more than 1,500 songs before retiring in 1996. Her performances extended beyond Greece, earning her a loyal fan base in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Germany.
During her international tours, Grey crossed paths with global icons such as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, and Rex Harrison. She also met notable Greek luminaries, including Maria Callas, Stavros Niarchos, and Aristotle Onassis.
Kaiti Grey’s legacy remains deeply rooted in Greek music history, and her contributions continue to inspire generations of artists and music lovers worldwide.
