People’s Artist singer Eduard Khil died at the age of 77 in St. Petersburg on June 4, said a spokesman for the Polenov Neurosurgery Institute where the singer was in intensive care after a stroke.
People’s Artist singer Eduard Khil died at the age of 77 in St. Petersburg on June 4, said a spokesman for the Polenov Neurosurgery Institute where the singer was in intensive care after a stroke.
Eduard Khil is called an original of the Russia (Soviet) stage. Fifty years ago he appeared on the stage of the Central House of Artists in Moscow where he was introduced by renowned master Leonid Utyosov.
He had his own unique manner of performance that was charming, full of optimism and distinct by his lyrical baritone.
Eduard Khil performed very confidently onstage, dancing to his songs with articulate gesticulation.
In the late 1980s, Lenkontsert, where Khil was employed, was going through a rough time. Two thousand singers were laid off. Eduard Khil traveled to Europe and the United States where his concerts were a success with Russian aristocrats, émigrés of the first post-1917 wave. Pictured: Eduard Khil performing at the Stereoleto festival in St. Petersburg.
Khil’s concerts in the Raspoutine Restaurant in Paris were popular with the public and attracted such celebrities as Charles Aznavour and Mirey Matye.
In 2010, Khil enjoyed another surge of popularity. His 50-year-old song, I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home, became a true internet hit. More than 1.5 million people watched the hit video within a week.
The song was called Trololo in the United States. The singer was immediately nicknamed Mr. Trololo on the internet. Russian bloggers suggested that Khil be sent to the Eurovision song contest because such a song could not be a flop.
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© Photo : Pavel Sarychev
After the video clip appeared in U.S. blogs, the singer sang in a fashionable Moscow club. Young people welcomed Khil with his Soviet-era hits on the 1960s-1970s.
