R.I.P Robert Zildjian Sabian Cymbal Founder

Robert Zildjian, founder of Sabian cymbals passed away today. If you don’t know the back story here is the write up on the wiki page.

Robert Zildjian (14 July 1923 – 28 March 2013) was the founder of Sabian Cymbals, the 2nd largest manufacturer of cymbals in the world. Robert Zildjian belongs to the Zildjian family, which brought the technology of cymbal making from their ancestral homeland in capital city of modern Turkey to the United States by Avedis Zildjian and then was passed on to future generations of the family members.The company was founded in 1981 in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada by Robert Zildjian, son of Avedis Zildjian III, the head of the Avedis Zildjian Company. Family tradition had it that the head of the company would only pass its secrets down to the oldest son, but Avedis III gave the information to both his sons, Armand and Robert. A family feud resulted in Robert leaving Zildjian to form the rival Sabian Cymbals company. The companies continue to be rivals, and are both among the world’s most popular cymbal brands. Sabian cymbals have been used by many famous drummers in the world. The company’s name is a combination of his three children, Sally, Bill, and Andy.

You can read about it and post on the guestbook on Sabian’s website here…..