| Mar Mar Aye | |
| Birth Name: | Aye Myint |
| Native Name Lang: | my |
| Birth Date: | 26 July 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Myaungmya, Japanese-occupied Burma |
| Death Place: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genre: | Burmese classical |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Instrument: | Voice |
| Years Active: | 1955–2024 |
Mar Mar Aye (Burmese: မာမာအေး; July 26, 1942 – January 8, 2024) was a Burmese singer and actress. She was considered one of the most successful female singers in the history of Burmese classical music.
Mar Mar Aye was born Aye Myint in Myaungmya, a town in the Irrawaddy delta to musician parents. Her father, U Aye, was a hne (flute) musician while her mother Than Hnit was a singer with the stage name Myaungmya Than. She began singing at an early age. In 1955, she gained national recognition as a singer with the song "Playing on the Rainbow". By the 1980s, 80% of film soundtracks were sung by Mar Mar Aye.
In 1961, she worked as an assistant broadcaster at Myanmar Radio. She was also an executive member of Myanmar's Modern Music Council and a committee member of Gita Padaytha Magazine. In 1971, she established Taythanshin Records. Additionally, in 1976, the Aye Singing Training School was established. During that period, she wrote poetry and songs using the pen name "Lay Mar". She published the novel "Lamb's Mommy".
Mar Mar Aye emigrated from Burma in 1998 under General Than Shwe's military regime and was allowed to settle in Fort Wayne, Indiana in the United States. She has been politically active. During the Saffron Revolution, she released a song entitled "Heartache Till the End of the World" . In 2012, she returned from exile to Myanmar, at the authorization of President Thein Sein.
On 25 July 2012, she released a Burmese language memoir, Dear Friend, Look Deeply Into My Heart, which recounts the aftermath of her divorce in 1970.
Mar Mar Aye died at her home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on January 8, 2024, at the age of 81.[1]