Musician Gilad Vital from Shotei Ha'nevua killed in car accident at 54

Vital was riding a motorcycle and was hit by a vehicle on Highway 653 near Givat Ada.

 Givad Vital (photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube)
Givad Vital
(photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube)

Musician Gilad Vital, 54, one of the founders of the band "Shotei Ha'nevua" or "The Fools of Prophecy," died on Friday in a car accident.

Vital was riding a motorcycle and was hit by a vehicle on Highway 653 near Givat Ada.

His wife, Netali Shimon, wrote, "My beloved husband Gilad Vital Shimon went out for his last ride on the motorcycle and will not return. Go in peace, my love. Thank you for the time we had together."

Before his music career

Vital was born and raised in Metula and served as a combat soldier in Lebanon with the Golani Brigade. He began his musical career in 1994 alongside his friend Roi Levi. Together, they formed the electro-acoustic music duo Shotei Ha'nevua.

Israeli soldiers stand near the area where Israeli military personnel continue their work on exposing and thwarting cross-border tunnels dug from Lebanon into Israel, as seen on the Israeli side of the border, near the town of Metula December 19, 2018 (credit: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS)
Israeli soldiers stand near the area where Israeli military personnel continue their work on exposing and thwarting cross-border tunnels dug from Lebanon into Israel, as seen on the Israeli side of the border, near the town of Metula December 19, 2018 (credit: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS)

Throughout the 1990s, producer Amit Carmeli and band members Assi Gevati, Avraham Tal, and Idan Carmeli joined them. In 1998, the band released its debut album, which was a massive success, selling over 40,000 copies.

Vital's former bandmate, singer Avraham Tal, paid tribute to him.

"How did you leave so quickly, Gilad, my brother from Shotei Ha'nevua, whom I’ve known since I was seven?" Tal wrote. "I still can’t comprehend it. Why am I eulogizing you now? You came to me in a dream last night with a melody, and I didn’t understand why. Then I was woken up, and the melody and your voice were still running through my head, telling me you were gone. What were you trying to tell me, my brother? I love you like a brother, and I still don’t understand. Everything feels so mixed up. Gilad was killed last night in a motorcycle accident while he was on his way to visit my older brother, Haggai."