Neco

Neco — Biography

Born Tahir Nejat Özyılmazel on 24 July 1948 in Yozgat to a family of Macedonian Turkish descent, Neco graduated from Pertevniyal High School. His music career began in 1964 with an orchestra, and after playing in several ensembles he took the stage name "Neco" during a 1968 broadcast with İlhan Feyman's orchestra; he went solo in 1974, releasing his first single and, over the years, numerous records and albums. He starred in the musicals Hair (1971) and Les Misérables (2000), and played Che in Evita in 1989; he represented Turkey at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with "Hani" in the United Kingdom and won prizes at international music festivals in Sopot, Istanbul, Bratislava and Çeşme. He served as a member of the Turkish National Olympic Committee and held management roles at Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club at various times. In acting, after films such as Şoför Mehmet and Bizim Sokak, he appeared in the television series Tatlı Hayat (2001-2004) and Kurtlar Vadisi Pusu (2007-2011). His 1975 marriage to Oya Germen produced two daughters, Zeynep and Ayşe, and ended in 2007; his 2008 marriage to İdil Erge produced another daughter and a son, and the couple separated in 2018.