Jewish Folk Singer Debbie Friedman Dies
LOS ANGELES (AP / WCBS 8880) - Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman, whose songs are performed in Reform synagogues around the world, has died in California.
Rabbi Elliott Kleinman of the Union for Reform Judaism says she was in her late 50s.
Kleinman says relatives told him the Friedman died Sunday morning at a hospital in Orange County where she'd been admitted for pneumonia, but the actual cause of her death is unclear.
Her funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana.
Beginning in the 1970s, Friedman set traditional Jewish prayers to contemporary folk music, with lyrics in Hebrew and English. She is best known for her version of the prayer for healing - Mi Shebeirach.
Friedman made more than 20 albums and performed at Carnegie Hall and around the world.
She was born in Utica, New York.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
