Croatian music legend dies at 85
Legendary musician Mate Mišo Kovač, one of Croatia's best-known and most popular singers, died at his apartment in Podstrana, near Split.
His farewell ceremony will be held in Split and he will be buried in Zagreb, according to sources in Split's music community.
He was born in Šibenik 85 years ago, CE Report quotes HINA.
His recordings, with total sales exceeding 20 million copies, are the best-selling in Croatia's domestic music industry, as well as in the former Yugoslavia.
Over a career spanning almost 50 years, he won numerous gold, diamond and silver records, as well as festival awards. Among his many accolades was the Porin Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received in 2012.
His songs drew on Dalmatian and Mediterranean musical traditions, and throughout his career he also collaborated with klapa vocal groups. He was at the height of his popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, and in the early 1990s performed at Split's Poljud Stadium before an audience of 50,000. He was also known for his many concerts that drew huge crowds.
He donated the proceeds from sales of his record Proplakat će zora, which sold more than 300,000 copies, as well as from a concert with actor Boris Dvornik, towards the construction of the Zagreb-Split motorway.
He was an icon of Dalmatia, football club Hajduk Split and its supporters' group Torcida.
A comic book featuring the lyrics of his songs Dalmacija u mom oku and Ostala si uvijek ista was also published.
His song Poljubi zemlju became the unofficial anthem of the Croatian national water polo team. Numerous singers in Croatia and across the region have covered his songs.
In 2007, the Šibenik City Council awarded him the City of Šibenik Award.
Photo Instagram/misokovacofficial
