Greece bids farewell to Mikroutsikos

The civil funeral of prominent composer and former culture minister Thanos Mikroutsikos was held Monday at the First Cemetery of Athens.

He died of cardiac arrest at the capital’s Metropolitan Hospital on Saturday after a long bout with cancer. He was 72.

The funeral was attended by relatives, friends, artists and politicians, including Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras and the general secretary of the Communist Party (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas. His body was to be cremated at the new crematorium in Ritsona, eastern Attica.

The funeral costs were covered by the state after a decision by the Finance and Interior ministries.