Ankaralı Turgut

Ankaralı Turgut — Biography

Born Turgut Karatas into a family of Romani descent, Ankarali Turgut became one of the best-known names of the "Ankarali" school, blending the Ankara region's upbeat folk music with Arabesque touches into a playful, humorous style. He was born on 11 September 1963 in the Ayas district of Ankara; his father was a drummer, and with several musicians already in the family he began playing darbuka at village weddings at the age of twelve. After his military service he released a local debut album, followed by three more amateur records. In 1994 he moved to Istanbul and made his first professional album by reworking a Tarkan song in a comic style, selling 300,000 copies without any advertising; his second album similarly reworked a Baris Manco song. He also wrote lyrics and took acting roles in productions such as Omuz Omuza and Reyting Hamdi.

Treated for COPD in 2017, he fell ill again in August 2024 and was admitted to Etlik City Hospital in Ankara; during cancer treatment he said he faced financial hardship and that donations raised by his admirers had not reached him. He died on 15 December 2024 at the age of 61. After his death, a dispute broke out within his family over the four children he had reportedly disowned and over what became of the donated money, and it went to court; an inheritance case that concluded in January 2026 found, in his daughter's words, that he had left her only honour, dignity and a 300,000-lira debt.