Yehudi Menuhin's Daughter Zamira Menuhin Benthall has Died, Aged 84

Zamira spent her life upholding her father's legacy and contributing to the many organizations he founded

Zamira Menuhin Benthall, the daughter of the celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin, has passed away at the age of 84.

A child of Menuhin's first marriage to the Australian Nola Nicholas, Zamira played a central role in continuing her father's legacy. She served as a life patron of the Menuhin Violin Competition, the international contest for violinists aged under 22.

In addition, for several decades she was a governor of the Yehudi Menuhin School, which her father founded in 1963. Zamira was also president of Menuhin's charity Live Music Now in Germany and Austria, which was first launched in the UK in 1977.

For nine years, Zamira was married to the Chinese pianist Fou Tsong. She later married the anthropologist Jonathan Benthall, with whom she spent nearly half a century.

Zamira is survived by Benthall and their three children. Our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Yehudi Menuhin plays to baby Zamira, 1939

"As Yehudi's daughter, Zamira was a beloved member of our community. Present and former pupils will know that until recently she was a frequent visitor to the School who knew all the pupils personally and took a keen interest in their progress. We are enormously grateful for her dedication to supporting her father’s vision for the School as well as contributing to many other initiatives to make the arts accessible to wider audiences."