site.btaThousands Pay Last Respects to Rock Legend Kiril Marichkov
Thousands came to pay their last respects to Bulgarian rock legend Kiril Marichkov. People waited for over two hours outside the Church of St. Sophia in central Sofia. Among the mourners were fellow musicians, fans, politicians, actors.
They applauded as the casket was being carried out of the church.
Marichkov passed October 11. He fell from the stage while preparing for a concert in the northwestern village of Selanovtsi and died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
It was only 19 days to his 80th birthday.
In the 1970s, he was among the founders of The Shturtsite (The Crickets) which remained a hugely popular rock band for decades. Marichkov also wrote film music, co-founded the only Bulgarian radio for rock music, Radio Tangra (later renamed Radio Gong), even sat in Parliament. In 2013 Marichkov formed a band called Fondatsiata (The Foundation) with other famous Bulgarian rock musicians, with which he performed to his last day.
"He was a legend for me as he was living and will remain so," renowned drummer Stoyan "Stundji" Yankulov told BTA on Tuesday. "He will be an inspiration for many generations: to be free, to love, to make music," he said.
Mimi Nikolova, another Bulgarian music legend, said he was "the emblem of Bulgarian democracy". "Shturtsite were out Beatles. I am happy we had them," she told BTA.
Ivan Lechev, a fellow musician and Foundation member, who was with Marichkov on his last day, said he felt a emptiness after he is gone. "With his work and his whole life, he built a monument to himself while he was still living. He was more than a great musician. He was a big personality, with many interests, very honest, persistent," he said.
Lechev said the other Foundation members were not sure at first if it was right to go ahead with planned concerts but then decided that it was exactly what Marichkov would have wanted to see: a big concert hall and everybody singing his songs.
"We were good friends. We grew up with his songs. Over time he became a legend and a role model for many," said sculptor Vezhdi Rashidov.
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