BELGRADE (Reuters) – A large crowd gathered on the streets of Belgrade, Sarajevo and Zagreb on Saturday, lighting candles and planting flowers in honor of one of Yugoslavia’s most beloved singers who died of a coronavirus.
Djordje Balasevic, 67, who was named ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1998, died Friday afternoon in a hospital in his northern Serbian town of Novi Sad.
Balasevic, known for his emotional words and soft pop music, was among the strongest anti-war activists during a decade of wars that followed the previous Yugoslav break-up in the 1990s. He was among the first singers to cross borders just after an armed conflict ended and held concerts in crowded stadiums and concert halls throughout the region.
“That special man who wrote the most beautiful love songs, the kindest about our youth, the saddest verses about our misfortunes and the funniest verses about our minds should be identified,” said Rade Serbedzija, a Croatian-born actor who starred in several Hollywood Movies.
On Saturday afternoon, large crowds gathered in the coastal cities of Croatia, Split and Pula. In the evening, fans in his Novi Sad country lit candles in the shape of a heart in the town square. In Belgrade, Sarajevo and Zagreb gathered hundreds in key squares singing his most popular songs.
“To me it is a symbol of a great time that has passed and will never go again,” said Ivana Kurtesvki, from Belgrade, who accompanied mourners in front of the concert hall where Balasevic concerts in December.
“He was a man who celebrated our upbringing, our youth, someone who through his songs was present at every celebration and party of ours,” said Zdenko, a fan on the streets of Zagreb.
Reciting with Ivana Sekularac; Additional commentary by Antonio Bronic in Zagreb and Marko Djurica in Novi Sad; Edited by Richard Chang