His death was reported by the state-run National News Agency.

Mr. Safi, whose real name was Wadih Francis, helped spread colloquial Lebanese Arabic outside his country, becoming known to many Arabs as "the man with the golden voice." Over seven decades he worked with well-known Arab composers and singers like Mohammed Abdul-Wahhab, Farid al-Atrash and Fayrouz.

He was much beloved in Lebanon, which has issued postage stamps bearing his likeness. "His passing is a loss to the nation and every Lebanese home," President Michel Suleiman said in a statement on Saturday. "He embodied the nation through his art."

The son of a police officer, Mr. Safi was born on Nov. 1, 1921, in the mountain village of Niha. He lived in near poverty in the village until his family moved to Beirut when he was 9. There, he enrolled in a Catholic school and began singing with its choir. At 12 he dropped out and began working and singing to help the family make ends meet.

When he turned 17, his brother Toufic showed him an announcement about a signing competition at state-run Lebanon Radio. He placed first out of 40 contestants and began working at the station. He later traveled to Brazil, where he spent time before returning to Lebanon.

Mr. Safi left Lebanon at the start of the 1975-90 civil war, traveling first to Egypt, then Britain, and finally, France.

In addition to Lebanese, Mr. Safi held Egyptian, Brazilian and French citizenships.

Survivors include his wife, Melfina Francis, and six sons and daughters.

An earlier version of this obituary incorrectly stated Wadih el-Safi's age when he died. He was 91, not 92.