TEHRAN – Fereidun Zarrinbal, Iran’s National Orchestra viola player, died Monday evening having suffered from colon cancer for the past three years. He was 68.

Zarrinbal was a veteran in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and had composed the compositions “I Am a Petrel” and “My Love Iran”, which were performed by Iran’s National Orchestra, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The musician was hospitalized in a Tehran hospital over the past few days but was taken home before he died.

His body was laid to rest in the Artists Section of Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery.

The House of Music is due to hold a commemoration service in the coming weeks.