Tributes to the late Sovie-era crooner Eduard Khil, who won international acclaim when a 1976 clip of him performing on Soviet television became a YouTube sensation two years ago, are still being paid by fans around the world.
The "Trololo man" died in a St. Petersburg hospital on Monday, aged 77, following a stroke in early April which left him with a severe brain damage.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Khil's death was "an irretrievable loss for our culture."
His songs were "dear to people of different generations, loved not only in our country, but also abroad," he said in a statement posted on the government's website.
Footage of Khil's wordless 1976 performance of his song, I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home, went viral on the Internet in 2010 and earned him his nickname, the "Trololo man."
President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences for the singer.
"The melody and soul" have left Russian music, with Khil's death, prominent journalist Diana Berlin told Dozhd TV.
"Rest in peace mr. trololo," fan Richard Spencer wrote on Khil's website www.eduard-hil.ru
"Thank you for the laughter" fan Becky Beard said.
"It is a pity that such great people leave... Let him be born again and please us with his voice," Andrei from the central Russian town of Voronezh wrote.
