Albanian lahuta player Jonuz Delaj passed away this Thursday at the age of 76. Through a social media post, Minister of Culture Blendi Gonxhja remembered Delaj as "the magician of the lahuta." With the passing of Jonuz Delaj, Albanian culture has lost not only a lahuta player but a living era of our historical memory. Hailing from Malësia e Madhe, he was known as "the magician of the lahuta" and was often described as one of the last authentic bearers of the Epic of the Kreshniks. As recounted in reports dedicated to his life, Jonuz Delaj carried the lahuta as part of his very being, singing epic songs learned orally, without writing or staging, relying solely on memory, voice, and spiritual strength. For him, the lahuta was not an instrument but proof of Albanian identity and history. Today, this heritage takes on even greater significance at a time when the Albanian lahuta enjoys the status of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage—an honor that also celebrates figures like Jonuz Delaj, who preserved it in its purest form. He has departed from life, but his voice remains etched in the sound of the lahuta, in Albanian epic poetry, and in our collective memory. Albanian institutions are committed to preserving, passing down through generations, and educating about this heritage, so that the treasures of our tradition may live, be told, and practiced forever.