Famous Armenian composer, Honored Artist of Armenia Gagik Hovunts passed away on 1 September at the age of 89, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport reported.

Born in Yerevan in 1930, he started his musical education at the Yerevan Special Music School after Alexander Spendiaryan. In 1954 Hovunts graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory, the class of violin with Karp Dombaev, and in 1957 – the class of composition with Grigor Yeghiazaryan. He was a professor of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory since 1984.

His works were performed in Yerevan, Moscow, Petrozavodsk, Odessa, Minsk, Tbilisi, Riga, Tallin, Praha, Donetsk, Paris, Baku, Alma-Ata. He was a member of the Composers’ Union of Armenia.