
HIH Prince Bayezid Osman was 93 years old. Photo: Ahmet Ze.
Last week, the last heir to the former Ottoman Empire, Osman Bayezid Osmanoğlu, also known as Osman Bayezid Efendi, passed away at the age of 92 and was laid to rest in New York. Osman Bayezid Efendi, who studied French Literature, worked at the New York Library for almost 34 years. He was able to speak six different languages and despite being the first Ottoman heir to be born in exile, he could speak Turkish fluently. A man known for his modesty and kindness, he was so thoughtful that when he failed to attend to an invitation, his brother, Cem Osmanoğlu, joked by saying, "He must be dead. Otherwise he would be here," only to find out later that Bayezid Efendi had indeed been hospitalized.