Who was Hana Zagorova? Tributes pour in as popular Czech singer dies aged 75

Hana Zagorova recently died at the age of 75 (Image via MicSchnabel/Twitter)

Well-known singer and actress Hana Zagorova passed away on August 26 at the age of 75. She was the recipient of the national Zlaty Slavik music award nine times from 1977 to 1985.

Hana had been suffering from several health conditions since September 2020 following her battle with Covid-19. All of her performances and appearances were canceled in August 2021 after her health took a turn for the worse.

Everything known about Hana Zagorova

Born on September 6, 1946, Hana Zagorova was a 17-year-old in 1963 when she participated in a singing competition Hledame nove talenty. She also enrolled at the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, where she finished her graduation in acting. Following that, she started appearing on television in the late 1960s.

She sang in the Sodoma-Gomorrah and after collaborating with the Vaclav Zahradnik Orchestra, she recorded her first album Bludicka. She performed at the Semafor Theater from 1972 to 1974 and gained recognition for appearing as Bludicka. She then started performing at concerts in and around Czechoslovakia with the Italian singer Drupi.

Hana then appeared on her musical TV show, Dluhy Hany Zagorove, during 1980s. She became a familiar face in Poland, Germany, and the USSR and collaborated with several artists. She also played the lead role in the 1980 musical film, The Hit. She performed alongside Petr Kotvald and Stanislav Hlozek from 1980 to 1986.

Zagorova recorded seven more albums with composers like Petr Hapka. She signed with the Nekolik vet in June 1989 where Charter 77 demanded the release of political prisoners and freedom of speech.

She then joined Karel Vagner’s Multisonic in 1991 and traveled overseas. However, she started to reduce her professional work the following year stating that she had sung what she was meant to sing.

She started writing screenplays for TV shows and her show, Kdyz nemuzu spat, aired from 1993 to 1998. She started touring in 1996 and recorded two albums with her husband, Stefan Margita.

Her new album, Ja? was released in 1998. She continued touring and released three more albums during 2000s, alongside publishing a book of poetry called Milostne in 2006.

Zagorova next appeared in the musical Jack the Ripper in 2007 followed by the Mona Lisa. She sold around 10.5 million records and released her next album, Vyznani in 2014 along with winning Supraphon’s Diamond Record.

On the occasion of her 70th birthday in 2016, she performed at Lucerna and announced her album, O Lasce, which was a bestselling album. She then released another album, Ja nemam strach.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Hana Zagorova became popular in all these years for her performances at several events and her albums. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about her demise.

Her survivors include her husband Stefan Margita. She was previously married to Vlastimil Harapes from 1986 to 1992.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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