Yishai Levi

Yishai Levi was born in 1963 in Rosh HaAyin

Yishai Levi was born in Rosh HaAyin to a religious family of Yemenite Jews. His father was a scribe and his mother a homemaker. His brother is the singer Nati Levi.

At 13 he left home and sang in clubs and at parties. He served in the IDF Artillery Corps.

He began his career with guitarist and producer Moshe Ben-Moshe, and the song "Raiya" brought him wide attention. His career suffered for years from heroin addiction. Albums such as Lehat'chil Mibereshit in 1992, Ha-emuna in 1997 and Rikud romanti in 2008 brought him back to success.

In 2000 he broke into a neighbor's apartment and stole electrical appliances to pay for drugs, and he was later jailed. In 2005 he set fire to his home after his wife refused to give him money for drugs, and he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was released in 2006.

He was married to Iris, who also managed him, and they had 4 children. He also had a son, the singer Shir Levi, from an earlier relationship. He died on 7 June 2026 from complications of COPD and was buried in Rosh HaAyin.