Egyptian poet Abnudi dies at 76

Egyptian poet Abdel Rahman al-Abnudi, widely known for his revolutionary verse and criticism of two toppled presidents, died Tuesday at the age of 76, his wife said. Abnudi, who underwent brain surgery at a Cairo hospital just days ago, rose to prominence in the 1960s for his poems, some performed by legendary Arab singer Abdel Halim Hafez.
In a career spanning four decades, Abnudi, known for his leftist views, published several volumes of medieval poems on Arab hero Abu Zeid al-Hilali and his tribe that travelled through the Middle East and North Africa. Born in 1939, Abdnudi's fans affectionately called him "uncle".