Gökhan Semiz

Gökhan Semiz — Biography

Gökhan Semiz (12 January 1969 – 17 January 1998) was the lead singer and songwriter of the Turkish pop and parody group Grup Vitamin, as well as an actor.

In his high school years he first founded an amateur band called Blasphemous. During his university years he began writing scripts with his friends and performed in theatres. In 1990 he founded Grup Vitamin, and in 1991 they released the group's first album, Bol Vitamin, which became the best-selling album of the year. That same year they released the group's self-titled second album, Grup Vitamin. Because they made a different kind of music, people found it unusual and it attracted great attention. Over time they released various albums and became one of Turkey's biggest groups. In 1992 Gökhan Semiz released his first solo album, Mikrop. In 1994 Grup Vitamin won the Best Group award at the Altın Kelebek (Golden Butterfly) Awards. In 1996 Deli Dolu (Best of), the last album he released with Grup Vitamin during his lifetime, came out and enjoyed great success. In 1997 he released his second solo album, İnan ki Teksin, which was ranked among the best albums of the year.

He created a highly distinctive musical style in Turkey and achieved great things with his extraordinary wit. In 1998 the band was recording Grup Vitamin's eighth studio album. On 12 January 1998 he celebrated his 29th birthday, and five days later, on 17 January, he died as a result of a traffic accident on the Bakırköy coast. His bandmates, family and fans were devastated by the tragic news. After Gökhan's sudden death, the group released the unfinished album İyi Günler Türkiye.