R.I.P. Eduard Khil, Mr. Trololo

Eduard Khil, a longtime pop star in the Soviet Union, became famous in the west only a couple of years ago when his rendition of the wordless song "I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home" became an internet hit. Khil's performance on a '60s TV show spawned a meme called Trololo. Khil embraced his internet fame and responded by coming out of retirement to perform again. Khil died today at a St. Petersburg hospital from complications of a stroke he suffered last month.

Eduard Khil was born in Smolensk in 1934. He started his music career in 1960 at the Leningrad Conservatory. He began performing in 1962 and very soon became extremely popular. In the late 1970s he commenced a lecturing career at the Leningrad Conservatory. He was later named an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.

Victory at an International Youth Festival in Berlin in 1973 gave him a chance to see the world, as the singer made a global tour, visiting some 80 countries.

In the 1980s Eduard Khil was one of the few Soviet people to travel to the US and Europe. In Paris’s Rasputin cabaret, the singer’s performances were enjoyed by Mireille Mathieu and France’s 21st President, François Mitterrand.

Eduard Khil was 77 years old. Link -via Metafilter