Robert Zildjian ’45

Robert Zildjian ’45, founder of the Sabian Inc. musical cymbal manufacturing company, died of cancer at his home in Brunswick, Maine, on March 27. “R.Z.” founded Sabian in 1981 after a legal battle with his brother Armand over their inheritance of the family business, Avedis Zildjian Co., a major cymbal maker. The family’s U.S. business was founded in the Boston area in 1928 by his father, Armenian immigrant Avedis Zildjian, and a great-uncle. The rock ’n’ roll era brought an expanding demand for its percussion products. R.Z. began working as a teenager for his father, who passed on the techniques of cymbal making he originally learned in Ankara, Turkey. When the brothers feuded, R.Z. formed what would become the second largest cymbal manufacturer in the world. He is survived by his wife, Willi; children Andy, Wilson ’79 and daughter Sally; and eight grandchildren.