Rüçhan Çamay is a Turkish jazz and pop music artist, film actress, and the first Turkish artist to sing on television in Türkiye’s history. She was born on 30 May 1931 in Istanbul and passed away on 10 July 2025 in Istanbul. Throughout her musical career, she performed works in jazz, pop, and Turkish-language light music genres.

Rüçhan Çamay was born to Mebrure Hanım (Hasekin) and Asım Bey. Her parents separated when she was still one year old. She spent the early years of her childhood in Istanbul and later moved to Ankara after her mother began working as a broadcaster at Ankara Radio. Her mother was one of Türkiye’s first female broadcasters. Çamay received boarding education at Maarif College starting from the second grade of primary school. Her musical talent was recognized by her music teacher, Celal İnce.

She studied at the Piano and Vocal departments of Ankara University State Conservatory. At the age of twelve, while still a student, she joined the Ankara Radio Children’s Club choir under the direction of Nedim Otyam. During her student years, she developed an interest in jazz music and began performing jazz on Ankara Radio. She was influenced by the music of Sevim and Sevinç Tevs sisters and Ella Fitzgerald, and under the guidance of pianist Erdoğan Çaplı, she turned toward jazz.

In 1947, she made her stage debut at the Istanbul Taksim Municipal Gazino. She obtained this opportunity through the intermediary of Gregor, one of the organizers of the time, and performed under the identity of a Belgian, using the names “Chantoz Delisyö” or “French vedette Rüşan.” After her Turkish identity became known, she continued her stage performances as an orchestra singer.

In 1947, she appeared in the film Yuvamı Yıkamazsın, directed by Kanı Kıpçak and starring Cahide Sonku. In 1950, she sang and acted in the film İstanbul Geceleri, directed by Mehmet Muhtar. In the same year, she hosted jazz programs on Istanbul Radio accompanied by the orchestra of Şerif Yüzbaşıoğlu under the name “Rüçhan Çamay and Friends.”

In 1953, she traveled to the United States at the invitation of American talent agent William Morris. She performed at a club called Mezonette in New York and participated in numerous radio programs. She appeared as a guest on the CBS television program Art Linkletter Show, performing pieces from the repertoire of Turkish folk music. Through this program, she became the first Turkish artist to sing on television. Her stay in America lasted 2.5 months.

In 1967, she returned to the United States and engaged in various musical projects. In 1968, she performed at a home party hosted by Art Linkletter at CBS studios, where she received suggestions to continue her career in America. However, she declined these offers due to her family’s residence in Türkiye.

In 1966, she gave concerts at the Moscow Film Festival. In 1969, she performed the song Samanyolu and a modernized Azerbaijani folk tune with the Helmut Zacharias orchestra on the German program Studio Europa.

In the 1960s, as interest grew in Turkish-language light music in Türkiye, at the suggestion of Fecri Ebcioğlu, she released her first Turkish-language record, the song Gölgen Yeter Bana, in 45 rpm format. She recorded two more albums in 1972 and 1974.

In 1975, she recorded the song Para Parra Parrra, inspired by the musical Cabaret’s Money Money. The other side of this record featured the song Çocukluğum, composed by Şanar Yurdatapan and Atilla Özdemiroğlu. Shortly after its release, this record achieved high sales figures in Türkiye.

Other songs she performed include Rüzgarlı Bir Akşam Üstü, İncinen Hatıralar, O Adam, Babam Gibi, Yaşanmaz Aynı Evde, Tanrım İnsaf Et, Lililoy, Ne Haber, Yavaş Yavaş, Televizyon, Daha Dur, Gönlüm Çok Zengin, Sorma Gitsin, Yeter, and Sevgiden On Almalıyız.

She appeared in two more films in 1962 and 1964. She also acted in productions such as Aşk ve Kin, Zorla Evlendik, and İstanbul Geceleri.

In 1953, she married film producer and director Turgut Demirağ. From this marriage, her daughter Muhteşem was born in 1954 and her daughter Melike Demirağ, an actress and singer, was born in 1956. Her son Muhteşem Demirağ died by suicide in 2003.

In 1980, she was kidnapped along with singer Leyla Sayar by a group demanding ransom. She ended her active artistic career with a jubilee concert held at a gazino in Fenerbahçe on 9 August 1981.

In 2007, she was awarded the “Lifetime Honor Award” by the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation (İKSV) Jazz Festival. Her life was chronicled in the 2021 book Kayıp Diva - Rüçhan Çamay'ın Hayatı by journalist Dilek Yaraş.

Rüçhan Çamay died in Istanbul on 10 July 2025 at the age of 94. Her death was announced by her daughter Melike Demirağ on her social media account. Her funeral prayer was held on 11 July 2025 at Zincirlikuyu Camii, after which she was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.