People's Artist of the RSFSR Valentina Tolkunova died in Moscow at the age of 64 after a long illness. The famous singer did not become this morning, at about 08:00, in the intensive care unit of the Botkin hospital.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed their condolences to the family and friends of the legend of the Soviet stage.
Tolkunova has been in the Botkin hospital since the end of February. On the night from Friday to Saturday, she was transferred to intensive care due to a sharp deterioration in health. According to LifeNews.ru, after that the singer asked to bring a priest for unction. The ceremony was performed right in the hospital ward.
The artist got to the hospital after a concert in the Belarusian Mogilev. She was initially reported to have high blood pressure due to overwork. Tolkunova was sent to Moscow in an ambulance.
Valentina Tolkunova is one of the brightest stars of the Soviet stage. Usually, in such cases, a person's biography is remembered, but the life of Valentina Vasilyevna, with all the desire, can not be called intricately woven or dashingly twisted. Such a typical exemplary biography of the singer, neither you any non-core institutions, nor abrupt zigzags of fate - a children's choir, a music school and long, long years of work on the stage.
The singer was born on July 12, 1946 in the city of Armavir, in the Krasnodar Territory, but she always considered herself a Muscovite - soon after the birth of her daughter, her parents moved to the capital, and the girl grew up in Khovrino. She began to sing from childhood, almost ten years was given to the Moscow Children's Choir, where she, according to her, went through a real vocal school with a music teacher Tatyana Nikolaevna Ovchinnikova. After school in 1964, Tolkunova entered the conductor-choral department of the Moscow State Institute of Culture.
It would seem - the road dashed off, but here the oddities begin.
It's no secret that the success of singers at all times is often inseparable from the efforts and capabilities of her husband, but with Tolkunova everything turned out exactly the opposite. In her early twenties, a promising student marries famous composer Yuri Saulsky. Tolkunova temporarily leaves her studies, goes to work in the big band "VIO-66", which was led by her husband, and sings jazz there for five years. Unfortunately, the marriage was short-lived and broke up five years later (the second - with journalist Yuri Paporov - became much more successful and lasted for about thirty years).
And although the singer during this "jazz period" managed to finish her conducting education and, in addition, to acquire a diploma from "Gnesinka", she had to start her singing career all over again. And the stage is a capricious lady in all modes and at all times, and few await the smile of fate on this path.
Tolkunova was lucky - it was in this seemingly not at all favorable for her career that her takeoff begins.
As is often the case, chance intervened. In 1971, the first ever television series Day by Day was filmed in the Soviet Union. Nowadays, few people remember this nightly story about the inhabitants of a Moscow communal apartment, filmed by Vsevolod Shilovsky based on the script by Mikhail Ancharov with the genius Gribov and the young Innocent. But in the fate of the singer, he became one of the most important events.
In this telenovela, the unknown Valentina Tolkunova sang several songs by Ilya Kataev to Ancharov's poems - “I walked down the street at night”, “I stand at a halt”, etc.
The singer was noticed, and at the request of the poet Lev Oshanin, Vladimir Shainsky gives her his song "Ah, Natasha", which had been in his table for several years. After the singer's performance at the anniversary evening of Oshanin, the venerable composer found Tolkunova during the intermission and honestly admitted that he had never imagined that such a brilliant song could be made of his material.
After that, a rumor spread in musical circles that the young singer could pull out any song, and Tolkunova began to give out one hit after another.
First, the composer Aedonitsky invited her to perform the song "Silver Weddings", which one eminent singer had refused the day before, and Tolkunov's performance at "Song-73" ended with an ovation. Then there were "Wooden horses", "Snub-noses", and a year later, especially for Valentina Tolkunova, the young composer Vladimir Migulya writes "Talk to me, mother."
Tolkunova becomes one of the most famous singers of the country - it was impossible to resist this unique and at times recognizable timbre and extremely sincere intonation.
Unfortunately, the period of high-profile glory was short-lived - at the turn of the 70s and 80s, an event took place that crippled the careers of many singers who worked at the intersection of folk tradition and modern stage music.
The country has changed a lot, new rhythms have supplanted the old ones, and against the background of growing rock and disco, Tolkunov with her “colorful half-shirts” and “factory girls” began to seem a terrible anachronism. Neither voice nor professionalism helped - no one is to blame, it is just that times have changed.
Few singers of our very conservative stage withstood this blow - someone tried to radically change, but only a few succeeded. Tolkunova decided to remain herself. She recorded new songs - "I can't do otherwise", "My dear, if there were no war", "Dialogue at the New Year tree", worked for children - she sang in the cartoons "In the port" and "Winter in Prostokvashino." And still she broke through to the viewer.
Valentina Vasilievna finally disappeared from television screens only in new times, when all of us, spellbound new life and new opportunities, tabooed the past and got rid of it with some kind of frenzy. 
Tolkunova survived these difficult times with respectable dignity. She did not fuss, did not try to monetize the previous success, did not try to crawl anywhere, somehow return the past. She honestly admitted in an interview: “I’m probably from another century, very out of date. I am the daughter of that era, and the time in which we live ... I am like a grain of sand in a whirlwind of the XXI century, but I do not want to be a grain of sand ”. She worked for her listener, traveled a lot around the country, without refusing the most modest offers:
“I try to travel with concerts to different parts of our vast Motherland in order to have time to give people my heart, my songs. I never refuse to perform for disabled people, veterans, children, young people. 
If the organizers of such concerts do not have money, I perform for free, for me it does not matter.
They reproach me and even scold me for agreeing to work for free, because now not a single even completely voiceless singer will lift a finger until he is paid. I am often asked, "How much are you worth?" I am always amazed at this phrase and I can’t, and I don’t want to get used to it. Therefore, I always answer: "I do not stand at all." Then people sometimes irritatedly say: “Good. How much are your songs worth? " What kind of savagery? How can songs or myself be worth something? It's priceless. Both I myself and my songs are given by God for people. Only my work has a price. I am pleased to know that there, in the outback, I am needed. Arriving there, I do not feel cold, but I feel the warmth of hearts and caring of the soul. A soulful lyric song is needed there more than in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Do not judge and you will not be judged, and I cannot judge anyone, but it seems to me that today people give preference to something shining, flickering, shining, thundering, but not the inner essence, the secrecy of the soul.
In general, dignity is perhaps the key word for remembering Valentina Vasilievna. Even when the reverse process began and the landslide fashion for Soviet retro began, she, unlike many of her colleagues, resisted and did not rush into the hectic pursuit of a second chance. She didn’t flash at any concerts such as "hodgepodge of national teams", we never saw her in television retro contests and other booths beloved by the national culture. She lived the same way as always. At the same time, she never complained or regretted anything: “The song cannot be Russian or Soviet. There is no song tied to the line. A good song for everyone, and it cannot be called Russian or Soviet.
I did not sing slogan songs. I have never served anyone. I sang human songs.
Remember, "Talk to me, Mom", "Snub-noses", "We rode on a boat", "My dear, if there were no war." These songs are for everyone, they are still needed, they are in demand. I cannot say that I am sitting without concerts. No, I am not destitute, I am a wealthy person. Twenty-two years behind the wheel, now I drive a jeep, I have a good apartment. I don't complain about anything, I have nothing to complain about. I myself am scrambling in this life. I don’t sit around, there is a lot of work ”. 
She always lived by work. Even when a few years ago she was diagnosed with a terrible diagnosis, she still continued to perform. In mid-February, at a concert in Belarusian Mogilev, the singer became ill. After urgent hospitalization, it turned out that the disease had given a relapse. For almost a month, doctors fought for the singer's life, but the situation was too serious - fourth-degree cancer, tumors in the chest and brain with metastases to the liver and lungs.
On Monday morning, Valentina Tolkunova died in the Botkin hospital. Today, remembering how I never want to argue with one of her best songs of recent years - "Leaving, do not take anything from the past."
Valentina Tolkunova was married twice. Her first husband was the composer, conductor of the vocal and instrumental orchestra Yuri Saulsky, and the second - international journalist, author of the book "Hemingway in Cuba" Yuri Paporov. The singer's son, Nikolai, works as a lighting designer at the Moscow Theater of Musical Drama and Song.
People's and Honored Artist of the RSFSR, Honored Artist of Kalmykia was awarded the Orders of Honor, Friendship of Peoples, Lomonosov, St. Anna, St. Vladimir, Peter the Great, the badge of honor of the FAPSI, the medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow". She is also a Chevalier of the Order of Patrons of the Century, laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize and the Prize of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Honorary Railwayman of Russia, Honored Power Engineer of Russia, Honorary Artekovets, Honorary Bamovets, Honorary Border Guard and Academician of the Academy of Security, Defense and law and order ".
The Ukrainian government presented her with the International Order of Honor and the Order of St. Nicholas. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev awarded Tolkunov with the Order of St. Barbara. Also, the singer was awarded certificates of honor from the governments of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia, Estonia.
People's Artist of Russia Valentina Tolkunova will be buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow on Wednesday, and it will be possible to say goodbye to her at the Variety Theater,
Refused chemotherapy. The singer claimed that she was feeling well and was on the mend. However, the disease was stronger. "It happened this morning. Valentina Vasilievna and, unfortunately, we were psychologically ready for this," said the interlocutor of ITAR-TASS. Now the question of the place and time of the funeral is being decided.
Valentina Tolkunova was hospitalized in the intensive care and anesthesiology department of the Mogilev regional hospital on the evening of February 16, right after a concert in the city Palace of Culture. The doctors explained this malaise as a serious overwork of the singer. Then she was transported to Moscow and she underwent treatment at the Botkin hospital.
Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences to the relatives and friends of the singer, the press service of the President of the Russian Federation reported.
People's Artist of Russia Lev Leshchenko considers Valentina Tolkunova a great singer and a great patriot. The singer told ITAR-TASS about this today, having learned about the death of Valentina Vasilievna.
"To say that I grieve is to say nothing," he admitted. "I'm just in a trance. Her death is huge,
a tremendous loss to our culture and to all of us artists. "
Leshchenko expressed his condolences to the Tolkunova family.
Singer Tamara Gverdtsiteli believes that "without Tolkunova's pearly light, bright voice, our stage will be orphaned." "It is very difficult to talk about Valentina Vasilievna in the past tense," Gverdtsiteli admitted. According to the singer, Tolkunova was a real artist. “Already being very ill, she still went on stage and none of us even imagined that she had a very serious illness,” she said.
“Tolkunova was fragile, gentle, she embodied the image of a real Russian woman,” the singer said. She noticed that she would really miss communication with Valentina Vasilievna. "We talked a lot with her in the dressing rooms, Valentina Vasilievna always treated people kindly, gave advice tactfully and tried to convey her experience," Gverdtsiteli said.
"Valentina Tolkunova was like a sister on the stage for me," Iosif Kobzon admitted. According to the singer, he was engaged in concert activities of an aspiring singer, having invited her to the Mosconcert. "She was a young, timid performer," said Kobzon, "but we put her together with a wonderful accompanist David Ashkenazi, and they formed a wonderful creative union."
According to Joseph Kobzon, Valentina Tolkunova was not only a wonderful singer for everyone, but also a loved one. "All her songs: about snub-nosed noses, and about silver weddings, and" Talk to Me, Mom "were understandable and reached the hearts of the audience, - Iosif Kobzon is sure. - I don't think that anyone will take her niche. there was one ".
Kobzon said that he knew about Valentina Tolkunova's serious illness. But, as always, death came unexpectedly. "Now we are engaged in decently seeing off our dear, beloved Valechka," said Kobzon. He is convinced that it is necessary to say goodbye to the wonderful singer at the State Variety Theater.
Valentina Tolkunova was 63 years old. In 1966 she joined a big band under the direction of Yuri Saulsky, sang jazz music. Among the most famous songs she performed are "I'm Standing at a Half-Stop", "I Can't Otherwise", "Snub-noses" and "In everything I want to get to the very bottom."
Tolkunova - Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1979), People's Artist of Russia (1984), recalls Interfax. She has toured Finland, Japan, India, Germany, Luxembourg, USA, Canada, Greece, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Israel. The singer has published 12 records and CDs. Only in musical films and theater performances she performed more than 300 songs. Tolkunova won the Song of the Year television competition 23 times.
Valentina Tolkunova is a legendary Soviet singer whose work has long become synonymous with Russian folk songs. During her career, this bright singer has performed more than a dozen inimitable compositions, and therefore today her work seems to be a real cultural phenomenon - the music of a whole generation.That is why Valentina Tolkunova is rarely called a "star", but more often called a "legend". After all, her work exists outside the boundaries of space and time. That is why the conversation about the life and career path of the great Soviet singer seems so interesting.
The early years, childhood and family of Valentina Tolkunova
The future famous singer was born in the city of Armavir on July 12, 1946. As Valentina herself recalled, music filled her life from an early age. Her parents loved Russian folk songs and guitar romances, and therefore very soon she herself fell in love with such music.However, all this did not happen in Armavir. The thing is that the family of our today's heroine moved to Moscow when Valentina was only a year old. In the capital of the RSFSR, she went to school, and also began to engage in musical creativity for the first time. The first step to the big stage for our today's heroine was the ensemble of the Central House of Children of Railway Workers, which at that time was managed by S.O.Dunaevsky.
In this place, our today's heroine honed her skills, practicing singing with an experienced teacher Tatyana Ovchinnikova. Valentina Tolkunova began performing on stage at the age of ten.
As the singer herself admitted, music has always been an important part of her life. It was incredibly difficult for Valentina Tolkunova to imagine herself without a microphone in her hands. That is why, after graduating from the standard school "ten-year", our today's heroine decided to continue her studies at the conductor-choral department of the Moscow State Institute of Culture. Valentina Tolkunova received a diploma of graduation from this educational institution a few years later. However, this was not enough for her. Trying to make her talent truly unique, in 1966, the Russian singer entered the Gnesins Music School.
It was here that the future celebrity first began to get involved in the then fashionable jazz. In 1966, she went to audition for the VIO-66 team and successfully passed the tests. In the vocal and instrumental orchestra, the girl worked as a soloist for five years. During these years, her repertoire consisted mainly of jazz and instrumental music. It was these songs that were most in demand among listeners at that time, and therefore all concerts of Tolkunova and VIO-66 were held with constant success.
Valentina Tolkunova - I cannot do otherwise
In 1971, having just graduated from the Gnessin School, talented singer received an offer to record several compositions specially for the TV movie "Day by Day". The artist agreed and very soon her songs became one of the main components of the success of the entire tape. Moreover, some time later, these compositions were released on a separate disc, which literally in a matter of weeks became a real bestseller in the USSR.
Star Trek of singer Valentina Tolkunova
After the first success, Valentina Tolkunova began to receive offers from prominent Soviet composers. Thus, compositions by M. Tariverdiev, E. Kolmanovsky, V. Uspensky and many, many others appeared in the singer's repertoire. These songs strengthened the singer's popularity on the Soviet stage, and very soon L. Oshanin invited the young artist to perform on the stage of the Column Hall in Moscow as part of a large anniversary concert. The performance turned out to be successful, and soon our today's heroine began to frequently appear on radio and television.In 1973, Valentina Tolkunova became the soloist of the Mosconcert. It was during this period that a pronounced tilt towards traditional Russian songs began in the singer's work. The image of a simple rural woman suited the popular Soviet performer very well. Very soon Valentina Vasilievna developed her own unusual style, which was based on a subtle combination of “cordiality, dignity and gentleness”. Her vocals have always had a characteristic folk manner of performance, and therefore the transition from pop songs to folk songs was given to a woman unusually easily.
Valentina Tolkunova - Noses-Kurnosiki
It was this unique musical style that made Valentina Tolkunova one of the most popular and sought-after singers of her time. She performed at many concerts, sang in front of high-ranking officials and millions of ordinary viewers.
In 1986, as a real legend of the Soviet stage, the woman created her own song theater. As part of this project, the great singer staged many wonderful musical performances, each of which was very popular among the audience. The most famous were the performances "Russian women", "Splashes of champagne", "Do not leave me, love", "I cannot do otherwise", as well as many others. All the performances of the song theater were staged on the stage of the Rossiya Concert Hall.
For her many years of work and a huge contribution to the development of musical art, Valentina Tolkunova received the title, first, Honored, and then People's Artist of the RSFSR. In addition, there are many other awards in her personal collection. A special place among those is occupied by the Orders of Honor and Friendship, awarded to the Russian singer in 1996 and 2006, respectively.
AT last years In her life, the woman did a lot of charity work. She gave concerts for large families, and also donated to the restoration of various churches.
Death of singer Valentina Tolkunova, cause of death
In 2006, Valentina Tolkunova was diagnosed with breast cancer. An operation followed, a long course of chemotherapy ... In the end, the treatment bore fruit, but in 2009, the artist was diagnosed with another tumor - the brain. It was she who caused the death of the singer. 
The grave of Valentina Tolkunova is today in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Personal life of Valentina Tolkunova
There were two marriages in the singer's life. The first spouse of Valentina Tolkunova was the composer Yuri Saulsky. The marriage with him lasted five years.In 1977, the woman remarried. The new husband of the artist was journalist Yuri Paporov. In this marriage, the woman gave birth to her only son - Nikolai (born 1977) With her husband Yuri, our today's heroine lived until the end of her days.
- We were very close and similar in character. We always had something to talk about, - recalls Evgenia Nikolaevna. - We always went somewhere ... I loved to sing, and my mother sang too ... But since we lived poorly, in a simple family, there was no opportunity to become an artist. I have worked all my life in a carriage depot. But Valya was able to make our family dream come true! She sang in a children's choir, toured the country, studied at the Institute of Culture ...
According to Evgenia Nikolaevna, her daughter seemed to feel that she would face a serious illness. All her life she helped the terminally ill, under her care there were always several people who did not know the denial of either money or attention.
- Valya helped her first vocal teacher, who was seriously ill, - recalls the singer's mother. - I gave money for the operation to a fan from Nizhny Novgorod, helped one girl from the Far East who suffered from multiple sclerosis. Valya sent her money to the last, and then paid for the funeral and the monument. Yes, and with her second husband, although they no longer lived together, she acted humanly. When he became seriously ill and practically went blind, he stopped hearing, took him to her place, hired a nurse. And there's nothing to say about me! She fully provided for me, the closets were full of clothes that she gave. And she bought the apartment where I live.
The second husband of Valentina Tolkunova, 86-year-old journalist Yuri Paporov, died a month and a half after his wife. After the death of his wife, he was practically orphaned, felt like no one needed and was very worried. After all, Paporov also had oncology, he fell ill even earlier than Tolkunov. A few days after the death of Tolkunova, he was hospitalized and never left there. Paporov was buried next to Valentina Vasilievna, at the same Troyekurovsky cemetery.
Hashem helped her die without pain
- Valya shared everything with me, so I was the first to find out about her illness, - says the artist's mother. - After the first operation, she felt normal for a long time, it seemed that the disease was stopped ... But in 2006, new metastases were found. She did not take care of herself, worked a lot and did not tell anyone about her illness. I told her: you need to rest more. But she went on tour until she fell ...
The singer's mother claims: Tolkunova had a chance to live longer! The doctors offered her different treatment options. But the singer did not agree ...
“After the second operation, Vale felt better,” says Evgenia Nikolaevna. - The doctors offered to do chemotherapy. And she refused! I couldn't imagine what would be left without hair. She said: "No matter how long to live, I will remain as the people knew me until the end of my life." She was very strong-willed. Of course, "chemistry" would probably help her to live for some time. But maybe she's right. She left earlier, but at least without insane pain. Until recently, even under a drip, which was delivered because of a blood clot, I did not believe in anything bad. I was always greeted at the hospital with a joyful smile. When she was taken to the intensive care unit for the last two days, she was very weak. But she also reassured me: “You know, Mom, everything will be fine. I saw God today, and he told me: "I love you and I will help you." These were the last words I heard from her. He helped her get rid of the excruciating suffering that might await her.
For Valentina Vasilievna, her long luxurious hair was a kind of amulet, a talisman. It seemed that if she lost them, she would lose herself. The relatives knew this and therefore did not insist on fighting to the end. Only now, sometimes, when it is done especially bitterly, they regret it.
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Content
The favorite of millions, talented and touching Valentina Vasilievna Tolkunova died on March 22, 2010. This was a shock and shock for her multi-million army of fans, who got used to and fell in love with a talented and modest singer with invariable pearls in a chic braid. How old was Tolkunova? Total 64
Childhood and youth
Valechka was born in the post-war period - on July 12, 1946 in Armavir, in the Krasnodar Territory. Vasily Andreevich, the girl's father, was a career soldier, and her mother was a railroad employee from the Buryat-Mongol ASSR. My mother's grandfather was repressed and spent 18 years in a prison camp. In 1949, a son, Seryozha, was born in the family, who later became a singer. He is now president of the sister charity foundation.
At first, the Tolkunovs lived in the village of Belorechenskaya, which Vasily Andreevich had to restore. In 1950 they moved to the capital. The house has always loved music and appreciated the performing arts - Lydia Ruslanova, Klavdia Shulzhenko, Leonid Utesov - their voices have always sounded in the family. Valentina decided to enter the Moscow Institute of Culture, conductor and choir department. In 1966, the talented graduate passed a competition and became a soloist of the vocal and instrumental orchestra (VIO-66), led by Yuri Saulsky.
"I can't do otherwise"
In 1971, Tolkunova graduated from the Gnessin School of Music and immediately recorded songs for the film "Day by Day". In 1972, at the invitation of the front-line poet Lev Oshanin, she performed on the stage of the Column Hall of the House of Unions. An anniversary concert was held there at that time. She performed the song "Ah, Natasha" by composer Vladimir Shainsky. For the performance they made a dress embroidered with pearls. To create the composition of the image, Valentina weaved a string of pearls into her hair. It became part of her image forever.
Since 1973, Valentina Vasilievna began working in the Moskontsert association. Since 1989 she was the head of the theater of musical drama and song of the creative association "ART". Musical performances were staged in the theater, which were a success. In 2004, Tolkunova bought a small house near the Diveyevo monastery. While there, she attended services, prayed, and received communion. From that moment on, the people's favorite began to engage in charity work. She gave part of her royalties to the restoration of churches, and organized charity concerts to help large families.
Her manner of performance and she herself has always remained simple - without arrogance and arrogance, with an irresistible desire to help, warm. She was an example of a Russian woman - beautiful, harmonious, wise, patient, gentle and loyal. The answer to all her good deeds was the line from the song - "I can not do otherwise." A whole generation has grown up under “snub-noses”. Her stage colleague and life mate Lev Leshchenko always said that Valya was real. They were credited with marriage, romance. Those who knew Tolkunova never believed in this. The audience just wanted to create the perfect pair of their favorites.
"I will always love you - I cannot do otherwise": personal life of Tolkunova
In fact, there were two marriages in the singer's life. The first time she married the leader of their orchestra, Yuri Saulsky, who was much older than Vali. Five years later, the marriage broke up, and Yuri left for Valentina Aslanova. The second time Tolkunova married in 1974, international journalist Yuri Paporov. He was also older than his wife, traveled extensively and wrote books. The only son, Nikolai, was born in 1977. Growing up, he worked as a lighting designer at the Moscow Theater of Musical Drama and Song.
But this marriage turned out to be strange - in the early 80s Paporov left to work in Mexico. Tolkunova did not leave her fans and did not go with her husband. And he forgot about the existence of his son for many years - Kolenka saw no money, no upbringing, no participation on his part. But when, after the car accident, Yuri returned to Moscow, his vision began to rapidly deteriorate. Valentina Vasilievna took him to her place and organized rest and care. He died 1.5 months after the death of Tolkunova. It is known about his son that he was involved in a scandal - he was detained with heroin. And only his mother's connections and love for her then helped him to avoid punishment.
The illness and death of Valentina Tolkunova
In 1992, the first stroke happened - breast cancer. There was a course of chemotherapy and surgery. In 2009, the next stroke was brain cancer, which became the cause of death. It so happened that Tolkunova toured and after one of the concerts in Mogilev she was hospitalized - she got first to the intensive care unit of the local hospital, and then to the Botkin hospital. At 6 a.m. on March 22, 2010, Valentina Tolkunova died: she fell into a coma and never woke up. They managed to unleash her right in the hospital ward. They said goodbye to the people's favorite at the Variety Theater. The grave is located at the Troekurovsky cemetery. At the end of August 2011, a monument was unveiled there. The second husband, Yuri Paporov, is buried nearby.
