Fairouz means 'turquoise' (the bright blue-green stone) in Arabic - it is her stage name. She started recording songs as a teenager and quickly became famous across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and far beyond. There is no fixed style to her songs - she sings traditional folk songs, modern pop, jazzy songs and dreamy ballads.
Many of her most famous songs were written with her family - her husband and his brother (the Rahbani brothers) wrote the music, and her son and daughter helped create stage shows. The Rahbani-Fairouz musicals in the 1960s and 70s were a bit like Lebanese broadway shows.
Lebanese families have a tradition: when the radio comes on for breakfast, it is Fairouz. Her voice is soft, warm and clear, perfect for waking up to. It has been part of so many people's mornings, for so many years, that one Lebanese saying is, 'Coffee in the morning is not coffee without Fairouz'.
Fairouz is famous for not giving many interviews. She lets her voice and her songs do the talking. Even now, in her older years, just a single new song from her is celebrated as a special event by fans across the whole region.