Ten years after his untimely death, Pantelis Pantelidis remains one of the biggest figures in Greek popular music. The combination of his tragic death, his emotionally charged voice and melancholic tonality, and authentic lyrics continue to resonate with fans in Greece and across the diaspora.
Even after his death in 2016, Pantelidis’s music is streamed by millions. Posthumous releases, like Karavia Sto Vitho Καράβια Στο Βυθό, Tha Zo, Θα Ζω and Na Se Kala Να Σε Καλά, all on Minos – EMI SA, are blowing-up the on-line Greek world. Songs like Ta Shinia Sou Τα Σχοινιά Σου and Pino Apo ‘Ki Psila Gia Sena Πίνω Από ‘Κι Ψηλά Για Σένα hit number one on the Billboard Greece Digital Songs chart.
Born in 1983, Pantelidis grew up in Nea Ionia, Athens. His mother’s family came from Agrinio, and his father’s roots were in Isparta, Asia Minor. After finishing school, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the Hellenic Navy but soon left to pursue music. Self-taught, he began writing and performing songs, sharing them on YouTube.
It was there that his career began to take shape.
In 2012, Pantelidis posted a video performing the ballad Den Tairiazete Sou Lew, Δεν Ταιριάζετε Σου Λέω accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. The video quickly went viral, reaching over a million views in weeks, and led to a contract with Minos EMI. His debut album that year went double-platinum. In 2013, he won the MAD Video Music Award for Best New Artist, the first of several honours he would receive during his brief career.
All four of Pantelidis’s albums achieved commercial success. He also collaborated with established Greek artists, including Vasilis Karras and Despina Vandi, and his lyrics, often direct and heartfelt, earned him both popular and critical acclaim. In 2015, he was named Best Greek Male Singer at the MAD Video Music Awards, an award he received posthumously again in 2016.
Yet, just as his career was reaching its peak, tragedy struck. In the early hours of 18 February 2016, a black SUV carrying Pantelidis veered off course at a grade-separated junction on Vouliagmenis Avenue in Athens, near the former East Hellinikon Airport. The vehicle collided at high speed with the safety barriers. Pantelidis was pronounced dead at Asklipieio General Hospital in Voula. He was just 32 years old. Also in the car were Mina Arnaouti and Frosso Kyriakou, who suffered serious injuries. The nation mourned a young artist lost far too soon, and the news of his death dominated headlines, shocking fans across Greece and the diaspora.
Ten years on, Pantelis Pantelidis’s music continues to be celebrated, streamed, and shared. His songs remain part of the Greek popular music landscape, a reminder of a talent that left a lasting mark despite a life cut tragically short.
