he introduced a waltz rhythm in his song "El Gandol," and, in 1957, he introduced a rock and roll rhythm in Abdel Halim Hafez's song "Ya Albi Ya Khali". He composed some of the best hits of Nagat El Saghira, including four poems by Nizar Qabbani. Abdel Wahab played oud before the prominent Egyptian poet, Ahmed Shawqi, and acted in several movies. He composed ten songs for Umm Kulthum. He was the first Egyptian singer to move from silent-era acting to singing. Abdel Wahab also composed songs for the Lebanese icon Fairuz whom he famously called "Our Ambassador to the Stars" and stated in 1958 that he was the leader of her fan club in Cairo. Death Mohamed Abdel Wahab died in his hometown Cairo, Egypt of a stroke on May 4, 1991. Legacy Abdel Wahab was fundamental in establishing a new era of Egyptian music in his homeland and across the Arab world. He also left a mark on the Western world by exposing Egyptian music to Western classical and popular traditions. He composed Libya, Libya, Libya, the Libyan national anthems. Tribute On March 13, 2012, Google celebrated his 110th birthday with a Google Doodle. Filmography As actor The White Rose (1933) Doumou' el Hub (Love's Tears) (1936) Yahya el Hub (Long Live Love) (1938) Yawm Sa'id (Happy Day) (1939) Mamnou'a el Hub (Love Is Forbidden) (1942) Rossassa Fel Qalb (A Bullet in the Heart) (1944) Lastu mallakan (I'm No Angel) (1947) Ghazal Al Banat (The Flirtation of Girls) (1949) Honours Egyptian national honours Foreign honors References External links Biography Selected Mohammed 'Abd al-Wahhab compositions from YouTube Web site: 1901 births 1991 deaths Egyptian composers 20th-century Egyptian male singers Egyptian nationalists Musicians from Cairo Singers from Cairo Egyptian oud players EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists 20th-century composers Egyptian male film actors National anthem writers Singers who perform in Egyptian Arabic