Robert Zildjian dies at 89; creator of cymbals maker Sabian

He broke away from his family's famous business dynasty and founded a rival empire that furnished drummers in more than 120 countries.

While breaking away from his family's business dynasty, Robert Zildjian took a closely guarded secret with him — a cymbal-making process with roots in the 17th century — and founded his own noisy empire in 1981.

A legal settlement prevented him from trading on the Zildjian name long synonymous with cymbals, so he called his Canadian-based company Sabian, an acronym based on the names of his children, Sally, Bill and Andy.

As Sabian evolved into a premier cymbal manufacturer, it cut into the market once dominated by Zildjian, the Boston-based company he left behind in a bitter feud with his brother.

Zildjian died March 28 at his home in Brunswick, Maine, his family announced. He was 89.

LA Times.