JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli liturgical singer Avishai Levy, a former child star who became a well-known performer of Mizrahi and Jewish liturgical music, was killed Friday after being crushed by his own vehicle in Jerusalem. He was 46.

The accident occurred shortly before the start of the Jewish Sabbath on Adoniyahu HaKohen Street in Jerusalem’s Bukharim neighborhood. According to initial reports, Levy had stopped after dropping off passengers while working as a driver. He exited the vehicle to unload luggage when it began rolling backward.

Witnesses said Levy ran toward the vehicle in an attempt to stop it but became trapped between the driver’s door and a nearby pole.

Paramedics from Israel’s Magen David Adom freed Levy and rushed him to Hadassah Medical Center’s Mount Scopus campus while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts, doctors pronounced him dead.

Police opened an investigation into the cause of the accident, including how the vehicle began rolling backward and whether mechanical failure or other factors played a role.

Born in Tiberias, Levy grew up in Jerusalem, where his musical talent emerged at an early age. At age 7, he became the lead vocalist of the children’s choir Pirchei Jerusalem, one of Israel’s best-known children’s religious music groups. Two years later, he was discovered by renowned cantor Kobi Mizrahi while singing at Jerusalem’s historic Ades Synagogue, where he studied the traditional Middle Eastern musical modes used in Jewish liturgy.

Levy soon earned national recognition as a child performer, releasing his debut album, “Mi El Kamocha” (“Who Is Like You”), in 1988. He followed it with “Eliyahu Hanavi” (“Elijah the Prophet”) and the live album “Erev Mizrahi Gadol” (“A Great Mizrahi Evening”), becoming known as one of the leading child stars of Mizrahi music. He performed throughout Israel and internationally, appearing before Jewish communities in France, the United States and South America.

In 1993, Levy briefly worked under the management of acclaimed Israeli guitarist Yehuda Keisar before continuing his career independently. He later released several additional albums, including “HaEmunah” (“Faith”), “El HaOsher” (“Toward Happiness”) and “Niglah Li HaOr” (“The Light Was Revealed to Me”).

After marrying in 1999, Levy scaled back his music career to focus on family before returning to regular performances in 2005. He became a sought-after performer at weddings, bar mitzvahs, brit milah ceremonies, Torah dedication celebrations and other Jewish events. In recent years, he released new music, including the ballad “Avakshecha” (“I Seek You”), alongside recordings of traditional Jewish prayers and liturgical music.

According to his official biography, Levy began performing at age 10 and built a 35-year career, releasing seven albums and dozens of singles.

Levy is survived by his wife and children. Family members had been preparing to celebrate the wedding of one of his sons in the coming months.

His death sent shockwaves through Israel’s religious and Mizrahi music communities, with fellow musicians and admirers mourning the loss of a performer whose career spanned nearly four decades.