Read about the relationship in the family of Sofia Rotaru and her love story with her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko on the website.
There is a legend that during the collapse of the Soviet Union, the leaders of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia lamented: how could they divide the singer Sofia Rotaru. Each president wanted to see it as a national treasure of his state. “Not a bad anecdote,” Sofia Mikhailovna laughs. - Seriously, I used to always say that I feel like a Ukrainian Moldavian. Now I want to say: "I feel like just a man!" Three cultures live in me at the same time - Russian, Moldovan and Ukrainian.”
For more than forty-five years, the singer has been performing on the professional stage. It seems that over the decades of popularity, outwardly Rotaru has not changed at all. When asked how he manages to look so good, he names traditional sports and the right way of life. “I try to exercise regularly on simulators, I love swimming, sauna, massage,” she admits. “Of course, I watch my diet, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I practically don’t use salt and I try not to eat after six in the evening.” Sofia Mikhailovna considers herself a gambler only in creativity, but she does not like to experiment with her appearance: “I think that maintaining your individuality is much more difficult than constantly changing something in yourself. You tell me: do you imagine Rotaru a bright blonde or no hair at all? To be honest, I don't."
Not everyone knows that after the death of her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko in October 2002, Sofia Rotaru lost her desire to sing and go out in public.
Sonya was so worried that we were afraid to leave her alone! - recalls the younger sister Aurika Rotaru. - Of course, as they could, supported. Sonya refused all concerts and filming, for the first time in thirty years she did not participate in the final of the TV program "Song of the Year". For six months, she generally disappeared from television screens. She didn’t sing, didn’t go on stage, closed herself. Every day in the morning she went to the cemetery, to the grave of her husband, and spent several hours there. I talked to him like he was alive! Watching her suffer was unbearably hard. One evening, her son Ruslan sat Sonya down and said: “Mom, you need to work. At least for the sake of the memory of his father! Come on, dedicate new songs to him. Let him rejoice for us THERE.” Convinced my mother to start singing, found new composers. Sonya recorded an album dedicated to Anatoly Evdokimenko and called it "The Only One". She threw herself into work.
I ran to the dance through the window
Rotaru inherited a special love for her family and relatives from her parents Alexandra Ivanovna and Mikhail Fedorovich, who raised six children. The eldest is Zinaida, then Sophia, Lydia, Anatoly, Eugene and the youngest is Aurika.
As a child, I really wanted to be like my sister, - says Aurika Rotaru. - We have eleven years of difference: I graduated from school, and Sonya was already a famous singer. I watched her on TV and told everyone: “I will become the same as Sofia.” (laughs) Our dad was especially proud of Sony's success. In his youth, he also dreamed of a stage, he had a voice that was amazing in beauty and power. In the army, of course, dad was the lead singer. But it did not work out: at first the war prevented, then a large family appeared. Dad wanted one of us to become a singer, but Sonya was especially singled out. He said: “Here she will be a real artist!” When guests came to the house, they stayed up late, dad raised the sleeping, still very little Sonic (as her parents called her) and asked to sing. They put it on a stool, and Sonya sang some Moldavian folk song. For this they gave sweets or even money - twenty to thirty kopecks. Sonya later shared this "fee" with us. In general, everyone in our family sang. Since childhood, I have a picture before my eyes: a day off, my parents and I sit in the courtyard of the house and sing. And Moldovan, and Ukrainian, and Russian songs. Such a beautiful polyphony turned out. Too bad they didn't make audio recordings at the time.
The plot of the family was large - one hectare. With a garden, a garden, living creatures. There was a job for everyone. Sonya, for example, has been milking a cow since she was six years old, and her sisters and brothers took care of the cattle and helped in the garden. All the children were at work. The day in the family began early - at six in the morning. First - work in the yard, then - breakfast and study at school. Sometimes they went to the market to sell their fruits and vegetables. They survived as best they could. The younger ones wore clothes for the older ones, just like in an ordinary poor family with many children.
Sonya grew up a lively girl, - Aurika smiles. - She loved to climb trees. A couple of times her father rewarded her with slaps on the back of the head for this. We visited other people's gardens for cherries or strawberries. And before school exams - for flowers. Although we have all this grew, but our own is not interesting. In the evenings, when my parents fell asleep, we slowly got out through the window and went to play the Cossack robbers. Once they played so much that they did not notice how morning had come. We run to the house, climb into the window, and in the room my father is sitting with a belt. We are waiting. Oh, and he drove us then! (laughs) In seventh grade Sonya started sneaking out of our window to dance at the country club. One day, her father caught her in the same way. But our older sister Zina did not allow him to punish his daughter. She stood between Sonya and her father: “Dad, Sonya is already big, she wants to dance. Don't scold her!"
But Sonya Rotaru had little time for pranks. She went to a music school, played the domra, went in for athletics, even won regional olympiads. Early began to participate in amateur performances in the village club. She also performed in neighboring villages. And since the concerts were held mainly in the evenings, Alexandra Ivanovna’s mother grumbled: “You can’t let such a young girl go in the evenings. Who will marry then? I was afraid that the reputation in the village would be damaged. But Zina again stood up for Sonya. She even cried, persuading her mother: “Let Sonya go. She needs it!”
Husband died in Sonya's arms
In our village Marshintsy there was such a tradition: a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old can already get married, - recalls Aurika Rotaru. - When she reached this age, on the central square near the club staged dance-bride. If, in front of everyone, the guys invite the girl to dance, then she has become an adult, it's time to get married. And now it's Sony's turn. Mom persuaded her for a long time: "Daughter, go." And the kind - in any. A week later, Sonya still came to the "bride". Of course, our local guys did not disregard such a beauty. In the village, Sonya was still small called "feticefrumoase", which means "beautiful girl" in Moldovan. And that same evening two young men came to our house. So it was customary: after dancing, go to the girl and knock on the threshold so that she comes out to you on a date. We hear someone knocking. Mom says: “Sonya, come out. The suitors have come to you." - “I won’t go out. You wanted me to go to the dance, come out yourself!” So I didn’t go to the “grooms”. Then our dad talked to the guys, explained that his daughter was not yet ready for marriage, she wanted to go to Chernivtsi to study at a music school.
While studying at the school, Sofia Rotaru won the republican amateur art competition and received a cash prize - one hundred and twenty rubles! Sofia Mikhailovna later recalled: “I came to a Kyiv hotel after the award, fanned out the money and began to save. Twenty rubles for mom and dad, ten for each brother and sister. After that competition, her photo was printed on the cover of the magazine "Ukraine". They also wrote that this girl was Sonya Rotaru, a student of the conductor-choir department of the Chernivtsi Musical College. Somehow, miraculously, a magazine from Ukraine ended up in the Urals with a certain young man, Tolya Evdokimenko, who did military service there. He fell in love with Sonya at first sight. He returned to his home in Chernivtsi and showed the photo on the cover to his father. He already whistled: “I wish I had such a daughter-in-law!” And Anatoly found Sophia, who then lived in a hostel at a music school.
“I’ll be honest: at first, Tolya didn’t impress me,” says Sofia Rotaru herself. - Yes, handsome, educated. But there were many such young people around me. He gave me flowers, invited me to restaurants, but on a date he sent friends instead of himself. But one day Tolya called and spoke to me in the purest Moldovan language. I was shocked: he learned this language especially for me. Soon I accidentally met Tolya on the street and ... I realized that I fell in love once and for all.
The wedding was played with a special Moldavian scale in September 1968. Before that, the groom bought wedding rings and a beautiful white fabric for a wedding dress. A large tent was erected in the courtyard of the house, vats were placed on the street, and from the very morning the women began to cook. There were five hundred guests - almost the entire village of Marshintsy. Anatoly invited his musicians from the student variety orchestra, where he played the trumpet. They played for three days.
After the wedding, the newlyweds settled in Chernivtsi, in the family of the spouse. Aurika Rotaru laughs: “I remember Tolya joking then: “I have the best mother-in-law in the world: she lives far away and does not understand Russian.” Our mother spoke only Moldovan and Ukrainian.”
For the sake of his beloved, Anatoly left science - by that time he had graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the university and was engaged in physics - and created the Chervona Ruta ensemble, where Rotaru became a soloist. With the same team, Sofia Rotaru became famous throughout the Soviet Union. Anatoly became for his wife both a producer, a director, and a director. At first, folk Ukrainian and Moldovan melodies were selected for Sofia. By the way, even today folk songs occupy a significant place in her repertoire: “I can’t live without them. When I hear - tears ... "- says the singer.
But Anatoly persuaded Sofia to try herself as a soloist in a pop orchestra. And then one day she nevertheless succumbed to persuasion, took a chance - she sang the song "Mama" by Alexander Bronevitsky. And the song came out. Sofia Rotaru was sent to the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Anatoly firmly decided to go with her to the festival. For this performance, they urgently needed a double bass player. And then Anatoly Evdokimenko himself mastered this musical instrument in two months. True, corns did not leave his fingers for a long time.
The result of the trip is a stunning success and the first place. When Sophia was awarded the gold medal, she was literally covered with Bulgarian roses. One of the musicians then joked: "Sofia's flowers for Sofia." And the chairman of the jury, Lyudmila Zykina, predicted, pointing to Rotaru: "This is a singer with a great future." Already in 1973, the Golden Orpheus competition was held in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, where Sofia again received the First Prize. Thus began the real glory of Rotaru.
“At first, my husband did not allow me to give birth,” recalls Sofia Mikhailovna, “he believed that you first need to make a career, and only then think about children. But I deceived him: I simulated pregnancy. He grumbled, of course, but got used to this fact, lost his vigilance, and I got pregnant for real. Then she came up with many scientific explanations for him, why she gave birth to Ruslan not nine months later, but later.
Ruslan was born in August 1970. Entire stories are still told about how noisily Anatoly met his wife from the hospital. With flowers, with musicians, with dozens of bottles of champagne. In Chernivtsi, even traffic stopped, because Evdokimenko, with Ruslan in his arms, was dancing in the middle of the road.
Sofia Rotaru and Anatoly Evdokimenko lived for almost thirty-five years in love, harmony and well-coordinated work. The singer was envied by both the audience and colleagues: a loving husband, a successful career, the love of the audience. Everything an actress can dream of! But happiness was destroyed by illness - in the late nineties, Anatoly had a stroke on the next tour. Only he began to come to his senses - a year later the second. Then he lost his speech. But Sofia Mikhailovna did not give up, she fought for a long time, treated her husband with different doctors. She cared, tried to always be there.
Sonya went away only to concerts and to pray to church, - says Aurika. - In 2002, Tolya was again admitted to the hospital, and there - the third stroke, the last ... Sonya and Ruslan, who became an assistant to her mother instead of her father, then went to concerts in Germany. They called me from the hospital: “Anatoly got worse. Come." I informed Sonya and Ruslan, who interrupted the tour. A few hours later they were in a Kyiv hospital. Tolik never regained consciousness - he died in Sonya's arms ...
The best holiday is fishing and gardening
Only work helped Rotar survive the tragedy. Six months after the death of her husband, Sofia Mikhailovna found strength in herself and again began to perform, appear on television, and tour. Often the singer invites her younger sister on tour with her.
It is always very interesting to watch Sofia Rotaru behind the scenes, says Aurika. - Before the performance, it is better not to approach her. She worries, worries. He will double-check everything on stage twenty times: costumes, sound, light, repeat the numbers with the dancers ... But after the concert he can relax. If we are on tour somewhere, we go to a hotel. We close in the room and start playing cards. We love preference. True, we play only for fun ... Sonya's biggest regrets are that her beloved husband Tolik passed away so early, and that she did not give birth to a daughter at one time. But our mother told us: “Give birth to more kids! Then you will regret. If it's hard, give it to me, I'll grow it!" But we worked hard, traveled around the world. They could not afford a large family, there was no time to raise them.
Today Sofia Rotaru lives in two cities at once - in Yalta, where she has her own house and hotel business, and in Kyiv. When he takes a break from concerts, he likes to spend time either fishing or in his Yalta garden, where he takes care of fruit trees and a vegetable garden. She gathers the harvest herself, makes jam and preparations for the winter. But the main thing in her life is her grandchildren. The eldest - Anatoly, named after his grandfather - studies in England, the youngest, Sonya, at the Kyiv music school.
“I have one civil position - I am for world peace!...” / Global Look Press
I love my grandchildren very much, pamper them as best I can, - Sofia Mikhailovna admits. - I regret that at one time I paid little attention to Ruslanchik. She constantly went to concerts, and he saw his mother mostly on TV. I was very worried, but what to do is the cost of our profession.
Grandchildren call Sonya only by name, - says Aurika. - I remember how Tolik told me: "Can you imagine, my classmates do not believe that Sofia Rotaru is my grandmother." Well, really - in their understanding, grandmothers should be so old. And the grandchildren themselves cannot believe in such a relationship. The sister communicates with Sonya and Tolik on equal terms, she is first of all a friend to them. No lectures or moralizing. They trust Sonya with all their secrets. Tolik is such a wonderful business guy growing up. When he comes to Kyiv for holidays, he cannot sit quietly doing nothing. For example, he performs in nightclubs as a DJ. He often turns to Sonya or Ruslan for advice, lets him listen to his music. They tell him if something is wrong. Sofia Mikhailovna's family is friendly and kind!
In connection with the latest infamous events in Ukraine, they are trying to drag Sofia Rotaru into the conflict. She is required to decide on citizenship, for example, to give up Ukrainian and become Russian, or asked to make political statements. Sofia Mikhailovna herself tries not to comment on this because she has always been out of politics and sang only for the average viewer. And when asked about the support of any side, he answers: “I have one civil position - I am for world peace! I was born and lived most of my life in the USSR, where there has always been friendship between different peoples. And it pains me to see the ongoing conflicts between our countries.”
There is a legend that during the collapse of the Soviet Union, the leaders of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia lamented: how could they divide the singer Sofia Rotaru. Each president wanted to see it as a national treasure of his state. “Not a bad anecdote,” Sofia Mikhailovna laughs.
Seriously, I used to always say that I feel like a Ukrainian Moldavian. Now I want to say: “I feel like just a man!” Three cultures live in me at the same time - Russian, Moldovan and Ukrainian.” For more than forty-five years, the singer has been performing on the professional stage.
It seems that over the decades of popularity, outwardly Rotaru has not changed at all. When asked how he manages to look so good, he names traditional sports and the right way of life. “I try to exercise regularly on simulators, I love swimming, sauna, massage,” she admits. “Of course, I watch my diet, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I practically don’t use salt and I try not to eat after six in the evening.” Sofia Mikhailovna considers herself a gambler only in creativity, but she does not like to experiment with her appearance: “I think that maintaining your individuality is much more difficult than constantly changing something in yourself.
You tell me: do you imagine Rotaru a bright blonde or no hair at all? To be honest, I don't." Not everyone knows that after the death of her husband Anatoly Evdokimenko in October 2002, Sofia Rotaru lost her desire to sing and go out in public. - Sonya was so worried that we were afraid to leave her alone! - recalls the younger sister Aurika Rotaru. - Of course, as they could, supported. Sonya refused all concerts and filming, for the first time in thirty years she did not participate in the final of the TV program "Song of the Year".
For six months, she generally disappeared from television screens. She didn’t sing, didn’t go on stage, closed herself. Every day in the morning she went to the cemetery, to the grave of her husband, and spent several hours there. I talked to him like he was alive! Watching her suffer was unbearably hard. One evening, her son Ruslan sat Sonya down and said: “Mom, you need to work. At least for the sake of the memory of his father! Come on, dedicate new songs to him. Let him rejoice for us THERE.”
Convinced my mother to start singing, found new composers. Sonya recorded an album dedicated to Anatoly Evdokimenko and called it "The Only One". She threw herself into work. She ran away to dances through the window. Rotaru inherited a special love for her family and relatives from her parents Alexandra Ivanovna and Mikhail Fedorovich, who raised six children. The eldest is Zinaida, then Sophia, Lydia, Anatoly, Eugene and the youngest is Aurika.
As a child, I really wanted to be like my sister, - says Aurika Rotaru. - We have eleven years of difference: I graduated from school, and Sonya was already a famous singer. I watched her on TV and told everyone: “I will become the same as Sofia.” (laughs) Our dad was especially proud of Sony's success.
In his youth, he also dreamed of a stage, he had a voice that was amazing in beauty and power. In the army, of course, dad was the lead singer. But it did not work out: at first the war prevented, then a large family appeared. Dad wanted one of us to become a singer, but Sonya was especially singled out. He said: “Here she will be a real artist!” When guests came to the house, they stayed up late, dad raised the sleeping, still very little Sonic (as her parents called her) and asked to sing. They put it on a stool, and Sonya sang some Moldavian folk song.
For this they gave sweets or even money - twenty to thirty kopecks. Sonya later shared this "fee" with us. In general, everyone in our family sang. Since childhood, I have a picture before my eyes: a day off, my parents and I sit in the courtyard of the house and sing. And Moldovan, and Ukrainian, and Russian songs. Such a beautiful polyphony turned out. Too bad they didn't make audio recordings at the time. The plot of the family was large - one hectare. With a garden, a garden, living creatures. There was a job for everyone. Sonya, for example, has been milking a cow since she was six years old, and her sisters and brothers took care of the cattle and helped in the garden.
All the children were at work. The day in the family began early - at six in the morning. First - work in the yard, then - breakfast and study at school. Sometimes they went to the market to sell their fruits and vegetables. They survived as best they could. The younger ones wore clothes for the older ones, just like in an ordinary poor family with many children. - Sonya grew up a lively girl, - Aurika smiles. - She loved to climb trees.
A couple of times her father rewarded her with slaps on the back of the head for this. We visited other people's gardens for cherries or strawberries. And before school exams - for flowers. Although we have all this grew, but our own is not interesting. In the evenings, when my parents fell asleep, we slowly got out through the window and went to play the Cossack robbers. Once they played so much that they did not notice how morning had come. We run to the house, climb into the window, and in the room my father is sitting with a belt. We are waiting. Oh, and he drove us then! (laughs)
In the seventh grade, Sonya began to sneak out through our window to dance at the country club. One day, her father caught her in the same way. But our older sister Zina did not allow him to punish his daughter. She stood between Sonya and her father: “Dad, Sonya is already big, she wants to dance. Don't scold her!" But Sonya Rotaru had little time for pranks. She went to a music school, played the domra, went in for athletics, even won regional olympiads. Early began to participate in amateur performances in the village club. She also performed in neighboring villages.
And since the concerts were held mainly in the evenings, Alexandra Ivanovna’s mother grumbled: “You can’t let such a young girl go in the evenings. Who will marry then? I was afraid that the reputation in the village would be damaged. But Zina again stood up for Sonya. She even cried, persuading her mother: “Let Sonya go. She needs it!” The husband died in Sonya's arms - In our village Marshintsy there was such a tradition: a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old can already get married, - recalls Aurika Rotaru. - When she reached this age, on the central square near the club staged dance-bride.
If, in front of everyone, the guys invite the girl to dance, then she has become an adult, it's time to get married. And now it's Sony's turn. Mom persuaded her for a long time: "Daughter, go." And the kind - in any. A week later, Sonya still came to the "bride". Of course, our local guys did not disregard such a beauty. In the village, Sonya was still small called "feticefrumoase", which means "beautiful girl" in Moldovan. And that same evening two young men came to our house. So it was customary: after dancing, go to the girl and knock on the threshold so that she comes out to you on a date. We hear someone knocking.
Mom says: “Sonya, come out. The suitors have come to you." - “I won’t go out. You wanted me to go to the dance, come out yourself!” So I didn’t go to the “grooms”. Then our dad talked to the guys, explained that his daughter was not yet ready for marriage, she wanted to go to Chernivtsi to study at a music school. While studying at the school, Sofia Rotaru won the republican amateur art competition and received a cash prize - one hundred and twenty rubles! Sofia Mikhailovna later recalled: “I came to a Kyiv hotel after the award, fanned out the money and began to save.
Twenty rubles for mom and dad, ten for each brother and sister. After that competition, her photo was printed on the cover of the magazine "Ukraine". They also wrote that this girl was Sonya Rotaru, a student of the conductor-choir department of the Chernivtsi Musical College. Somehow, miraculously, a magazine from Ukraine ended up in the Urals with a certain young man, Tolya Evdokimenko, who did military service there. He fell in love with Sonya at first sight.
He returned to his home in Chernivtsi and showed the photo on the cover to his father. He already whistled: “I wish I had such a daughter-in-law!” And Anatoly found Sophia, who then lived in a hostel at a music school. “I’ll be honest: at first, Tolya didn’t impress me,” says Sofia Rotaru herself. - Yes, handsome, educated. But there were many such young people around me. He gave me flowers, invited me to restaurants, but on a date he sent friends instead of himself. But one day Tolya called and spoke to me in the purest Moldovan language. I was shocked: he learned this language especially for me.
Soon I accidentally met Tolya on the street and ... I realized that I fell in love once and for all. The wedding was played with a special Moldavian scale in September 1968. Before that, the groom bought wedding rings and a beautiful white fabric for a wedding dress. A large tent was erected in the courtyard of the house, vats were placed on the street, and from the very morning the women began to cook. There were five hundred guests - almost the entire village of Marshintsy. Anatoly invited his musicians from the student variety orchestra, where he played the trumpet. They played for three days. After the wedding, the newlyweds settled in Chernivtsi, in the family of the spouse. Aurika Rotaru laughs: “I remember Tolya joking then: “I have the best mother-in-law in the world: she lives far away and does not understand Russian.”
Our mother spoke only Moldovan and Ukrainian.” For the sake of his beloved, Anatoly left science - by that time he had graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the university and was engaged in physics - and created the Chervona Ruta ensemble, where Rotaru became a soloist. With the same team, Sofia Rotaru became famous throughout the Soviet Union.
Anatoly became for his wife both a producer, a director, and a director. At first, folk Ukrainian and Moldovan melodies were selected for Sofia. By the way, even today folk songs occupy a significant place in her repertoire: “I can’t live without them. As I hear - tears ... "- says the singer. But Anatoly persuaded Sofia to try herself as a soloist in a pop orchestra. And then one day she nevertheless succumbed to persuasion, took a chance - she sang the song "Mama" by Alexander Bronevitsky. And the song came out. Sofia Rotaru was sent to the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
Anatoly firmly decided to go with her to the festival. For this performance, they urgently needed a double bass player. And then Anatoly Evdokimenko himself mastered this musical instrument in two months. True, corns did not leave his fingers for a long time. The result of the trip is a stunning success and the first place. When Sophia was awarded the gold medal, she was literally covered with Bulgarian roses. One of the musicians then joked: "Sofia's flowers for Sofia." And the chairman of the jury, Lyudmila Zykina, predicted, pointing to Rotaru: "This is a singer with a great future."
Already in 1973, the Golden Orpheus competition was held in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, where Sofia again received the First Prize. Thus began the real glory of Rotaru. “At first, my husband did not allow me to give birth,” recalls Sofia Mikhailovna, “he believed that you first need to make a career, and only then think about children. But I deceived him: I simulated pregnancy.
He grumbled, of course, but got used to this fact, lost his vigilance, and I got pregnant for real. Then she came up with many scientific explanations for him, why she gave birth to Ruslan not nine months later, but later. Ruslan was born in August 1970. Entire stories are still told about how noisily Anatoly met his wife from the hospital. With flowers, with musicians, with dozens of bottles of champagne. In Chernivtsi, there was even movement, because Evdokimenko, with Ruslan in his arms, was dancing in the middle of the road. 
Sofia Rotaru and Anatoly Evdokimenko lived for almost thirty-five years in love, harmony and well-coordinated work. The singer was envied by both the audience and colleagues: a loving husband, a successful career, the love of the audience. Everything an actress can dream of! But happiness was destroyed by illness - in the late nineties, Anatoly had a stroke on the next tour. Only he began to come to his senses - a year later the second. Then he lost his speech.
But Sofia Mikhailovna did not give up, she fought for a long time, treated her husband with different doctors. She cared, tried to always be there. - Sonya went away only to concerts and to pray in church, - says Aurika. - In 2002, Tolya was again admitted to the hospital, and there - the third stroke, the last ... Sonya and Ruslan, who became an assistant to her mother instead of her father, then went to concerts in Germany. They called me from the hospital: “Anatoly got worse.
Come." I informed Sonya and Ruslan, who interrupted the tour. A few hours later they were in a Kyiv hospital. Tolik never regained consciousness - he died in Sonya's arms ... The best rest is fishing and gardening Only work helped Rotar survive the tragedy. Six months after the death of her husband, Sofia Mikhailovna found strength in herself and again began to perform, appear on television, and tour. Often the singer invites her younger sister on tour with her. -
It is always very interesting to watch Sofia Rotaru behind the scenes, says Aurika. - Before the performance, it is better not to approach her. She worries, worries. He will double-check everything on stage twenty times: costumes, sound, light, repeat the numbers with the dancers ... But after the concert he can relax. If we are on tour somewhere, we go to a hotel. We close in the room and start playing cards. We love preference. True, we play only for fun ...
Sonya's biggest regrets are that her beloved husband Tolik passed away so early, and that she did not give birth to a daughter at one time. But our mother told us: “Give birth to more kids! Then you will regret. If it's hard, give it to me, I'll grow it!" But we worked hard, traveled around the world. They could not afford a large family, there was no time to raise them. Today Sofia Rotaru lives in two cities at once - in Yalta, where she has her own house and hotel business, and in Kyiv.
When he takes a break from concerts, he likes to spend time either fishing or in his Yalta garden, where he takes care of fruit trees and a vegetable garden. She gathers the harvest herself, makes jam and preparations for the winter. But the main thing in her life is her grandchildren. The eldest - Anatoly, named after his grandfather - studies in England, the youngest, Sonya, at the Kyiv music school. 
I love my grandchildren very much, pamper them as best I can, - Sofia Mikhailovna admits. - I regret that at one time I paid little attention to Ruslanchik. She constantly went to concerts, and he saw his mother mostly on TV. I was very worried, but what to do is the cost of our profession.
Grandchildren call Sonya only by name, - says Aurika. - I remember how Tolik told me: "Can you imagine, my classmates do not believe that Sofia Rotaru is my grandmother." Well, really - in their understanding, grandmothers should be so old. And the grandchildren themselves cannot believe in such a relationship. The sister communicates with Sonya and Tolik on equal terms, she is first of all a friend to them.
No lectures or moralizing. They trust Sonya with all their secrets. Tolik is such a wonderful business guy growing up. When he comes to Kyiv for holidays, he cannot sit quietly doing nothing. For example, he performs in nightclubs as a DJ. He often turns to Sonya or Ruslan for advice, lets him listen to his music. They tell him if something is wrong. Sofia Mikhailovna's family is friendly and kind! In connection with the latest infamous events in Ukraine, they are trying to drag Sofia Rotaru into the conflict.
Singer Sofia Mikhailovna Evdokimenko-Rotaru (erroneously: Sofia Rataru, Sofia Rotaru) was born in the village of Marshintsy, Chernivtsi region, Ukrainian SSR on August 7, 1947. The future artist was born the second of six children in a family of winegrowers. Sofia Mikhailovna celebrates her birthday twice. Due to a mistake by the passport officer, the singer's passport says that she was born on August 9. Rotaru was taught to sing by the blind older sister Zinaida, who had a unique hearing.As a child, Sofia Rotaru was actively involved in sports and athletics, and even became the all-around school champion. By the way, thanks to her sports skills, Rotaru, without stunt doubles, played roles in the film “Where are you love?”, Where she drove along a narrow embankment into the sea on a motorcycle and in the film “Monologue of Love”, where she was engaged in windsurfing.
The musical gift of Sofia Rotaru opened quite early. At first, the 7-year-old singer sang in the school and church choir (for this she was even threatened to be expelled from the pioneers).
Young Rotaru was attracted to the theater. The girl even attended classes in a drama circle, and at the same time she sang folk songs in an amateur art circle. And at night she took the only school button accordion and went to the barn to pick up her favorite Moldovan songs.
Sophia Mikhailovna's father was very fond of singing, had absolute pitch and a beautiful voice. It was he who taught her to sing. And at school, the young singer learned to play the domra and button accordion, and also gave concerts in neighboring villages.
The beginning of the career of Sofia Rotaru
The first success came to Rotar already in 1962. It was this year that Sofia won the regional amateur art competition. It was he who opened the way for her to the regional review in Chernivtsi, where the singer also won first place. For the strength of her voice, fellow countrymen called her "Bukovina Nightingale."After the victories won, Sofia Rotaru was sent to Kyiv to the republican festival of folk talents. Here, a talented girl was again waiting for victory. After the competition, the photo of the singer was placed on the cover of the magazine "Ukraine" in 1965. Seeing the photo, by the way, her future husband Anatoly Evdokimenko fell in love with Rotaru. The man was also fond of music and dreamed of creating an ensemble. After the meeting, he created a variety orchestra for Sofia.
After graduating from school, Sofia Rotaru had already firmly decided to become a singer and entered the conducting and choral department of the Chernivtsi Music College.
In 1964, Rotaru sang for the first time on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Sofia's first pop song was "Mama" by Bronevitsky.
World recognition of Sofia Rotaru
In 1968, Sofia Rotaru graduated from a music school and went to the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in Bulgaria. There she won a gold medal and first place in a folk song competition. 
After college, Rotaru began to teach and, in the same 1968, she married Anatoly Evdokimenko. In August 1970, the couple had a son, Ruslan.
In 1971, director Roman Alekseev made the musical film Chervona Ruta, where Sofia Rotaru played the main role. The picture caused a huge resonance, after its release the singer got a job at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic and created her own ensemble "Chervona Ruta". Together with the composer Vladimir Ivasyuk, a number of songs were written in the folklore style in an instrumental manner of performance. Rotaru quickly became famous in Ukraine. A series of concerts began in foreign countries - Germans, Czechs, Bulgarians, Yugoslavs received the Soviet singer with a bang.
In 1973, Sofia Rotaru won first place in the Golden Orpheus competition in Burgas, Bulgaria. The artist performed the song "My City" by Evgeny Doga and "Bird" in Bulgarian. After the victory, the singer became the Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.
Moldavian lyrics by Sofia Rotaru
Since the 1970s, compositions performed by Sofia Rotaru have invariably become laureates of the Song of the Year. Words and music for the singer were written by the best composers and authors of the country: Arno Babadzhanyan, Alexei Mazhukov, Pavel Aedonitsky, Oscar Feltsman, Alexandra Pakhmutova and others. 
In 1974, the singer graduated from the Chisinau Institute of Arts named after G. Muzicescu, and after that she became a laureate of the Amber Nightingale festival, which was held in Poland. In the same year, the singer released an album with the uncomplicated title "Sofia Rotaru". In addition, the musical television film "The Song is Always with Us" is released.
In 1975, after the start of problems with the Chernivtsi Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR, Sofia Rotaru, along with her ensemble, was forced to move to Yalta. The singer's father was expelled from the CPSU, her brother from the Komsomol and from the university because the family celebrated the Old New Year - an unofficial holiday. In Crimea, the artist immediately became a soloist of the local Philharmonic.
In 1976, Sofia Rotaru received the status of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. At the same time, Sofia Mikhailovna became a regular participant in the New Year's Blue Lights. She received such an honor after she performed the song "Winter" at one of the holidays.
In 1977, a long-playing album "Pisn_ Volodymyr Ivasyuk sing Sofia Rotaru" appeared. This record has become a symbol in the discography of the Ukrainian celebrity. For her, the singer received the award of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. And two years later, two albums “Only for you”, “Sofia Rotaru” and the giant disc “Sofia Rotaru - My tenderness” were released at once.
The career of actress Sofia Rotaru
In 1980, Sofia Rotaru won the first prize at a competition in Tokyo for her performance of the Yugoslav song "Promise", and also received the Order of the Badge of Honor. At this time, the singer is actively experimenting with her image and the first among female artists appears on stage in a trouser suit with the song "Temp" by Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov. By the way, this composition was written specifically for the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow and even became the soundtrack to the film "The Ballad of Sports" by Yuri Ozerov.In 1980, the film Where Are You, Love? was released. There, Sofia Rotaru sang the song “First Rain”, and also rode on the back seat of a motorcycle along the sea shallows without an understudy.
The tape was watched by 22 million people. In the same year, a double album of songs from the film was released. The song from the record "Red Arrow" was banned from broadcast on the All-Union Radio. All because the head of the music editorial office did not like the way the singer sang. However, the composition became famous even without radio broadcast. It is worth noting that the debut of Sofia Rotaru as an actress was called a failure, nevertheless, the tape won the audience's love. Then Sofia Rotaru began to look for a new style again.
The singer performed rock songs and took part in the filming of the film "Soul" along with Andrei Makarevich and "Time Machine". After that, Alexander Borodyansky and Alexander Stefanovich wrote an autobiographical story about the life of the singer, about the loss of her voice and about her state of mind during this period. Sofia Mikhailovna temporarily abandoned concert activities for the sake of filming a film. Rolan Bykov and Mikhail Boyarsky became partners in the picture. The film was watched by about 54 million people.
In 1983, Sofia Rotaru and her team gave a number of concerts in Canada and released an album on the Toronto Canadian Tour 1983. After that, the musicians became restricted to travel abroad for five years. And in the same year, the singer was given the title of People's Artist of Moldova.
In 1984, "Gentle Melody" was published. This album brought the singer back to her original image. In 1985, Rotaru received the Golden Disc prize. It was in this year that the albums "Tender Melody" and "Sofia Rotaru" became the best-selling in the Soviet Union. They sold millions of copies. Then Sofia Mikhailovna received the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
Europop and hard rock in the work of Sofia Rotaru
In 1986, the musical film "Love Monologue" was released. Here Rotaru sang the song "Amor" and sailed on the board in the open sea without an understudy. The album "Monologue of Love" was released in the same year. At the same time, the Chervona Ruta ensemble returned to the Ukrainian song, which was a complete surprise for Sofia Rotaru and her artistic director Anatoly Evdokimenko. The next album "Golden Heart" was already recorded in collaboration with Moscow musicians.Rotaru began to perform Europop compositions (“Moon”, “It was, but passed”) and even with elements of hard rock (“Only this is not enough”, “My time”). In 1988, the singer received the title of People's Artist of the USSR for her great services in the development of Soviet musical art. Rotaru switched to the Russian-language repertoire, for which they began to push her away in Ukraine.
In 1991, the album "Caravan of Love" was released. Here you can feel the influence of hard rock and even metal, which at that time were at the peak of their popularity. At the same time, the musical film of the same name and the Golden Heart program were released.
The work of Sofia Rotaru in the dashing 90s
In 1991, Sofia Rotaru gave an anniversary concert at the State Concert Hall "Russia", dedicated to the 20th anniversary of her creative activity. The program used laser graphics, candles and fantastic scenery, in particular, a moving red flower from Chervona Ruta. After the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of the commercialization of the musical space, the artist did not lose her position in show business. In 1993, Rotaru released two collections of the best songs "Sofia Rotaru" and "Lavender", and then "Golden Songs 1985/95" and "Khutoryanka".In 1997, Sofia Mikhailovna took part in the filming of the film "10 Songs about Moscow" by the NTV television company, where she sang the song "May Moscow" together with the Ivanushki International group. In 1998, the first numbered (official) disc of Sofia Rotaru “Love Me” was released, and a little later the program of the same name was presented at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. In the same year, the singer was awarded the "Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" "For the increase of good on Earth." A year later, two more albums of the singer in the "Star Series" are released.
Sofia Rotaru's leadership in the 2000s
In 2000, Sofia Rotaru in Kyiv was recognized as the "Man of the XX century", "Golden voice of Ukraine", "The best Ukrainian pop singer of the XX century", "Woman of the Year". 
In 2002, with the song "My Life, My Love", Sofia Rotaru opened the "New Year's Light" on the ORT channel. In the same year, a new album called "I still love you" was released. The songs on the disc are of different styles and for the first time remixes of old songs appear on the disc. In the spring, the "Star of Sofia Rotaru" was lit in Kyiv, and in the summer she was awarded the highest title in Ukraine - the Hero of Ukraine. After the death of her husband (October 23 from a stroke), Sofia Rotaru stops active touring. At the end of the year, a collection of songs by the singer "The Snow Queen" is released. By the way, according to the results of 2002, Rotaru became the second most popular domestic performer in Russia.
On December 25, the official release of the collection of songs by Sofia Rotaru "The Snow Queen" was released on the label "Extraphone" (Moscow, Russia). Part of the edition of the album came out with an exclusive gift - a poster of the singer. In 2003, in Moscow, a nominal star was laid on the alley in front of the State Concert Hall "Rossiya". In 2004, the albums "The sky is me" and "Lavender", "Farmer" were released. 2005 was marked by the release of the disc "I loved him."
60th Anniversary of Sofia Rotaru
August 7, 2007 Sofia Rotaru turned 60 years old. Hundreds of fans from different parts of the world came to Yalta to congratulate the singer. And the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko awarded the singer with the Order of Merit, II degree.Stage name Sofia Rotaru
Until 1940, the village of Marshintsy, where the singer was born, was part of Romania. This was the reason for the different spelling of the name and surname of Sofia Rotaru. In the credits of the film "Chervona Ruta" the artist's surname is Rotar. And on earlier shootings, they wrote the name Sophia. To write your last name in the Moldavian way, that is, with the letter “y” at the end, Rotaru was advised by Edita Pieha.Sofia Rotaru on video
“No, no one came up with this, this is due to the fact that this village in which we were born once belonged to Romania, it was the territory of Romania, and after the war this territory was annexed to Ukraine and in connection with this, dad was summoned to military enlistment office and said that the Romanian surname should be changed to Russian. They removed the letter "y" at the end, instead of Rotaru it became Rotar with a soft sign, and now we all have the surname Rotar. But in fact, Rotaru is the correct surname ... ”, says Sophia Rotaru’s sister.
Sofia Rotaru's personal life
Sofia Rotaru married Anatoly Evdokimenko in 1968. And they lived together all their lives, helping and supporting each other. The husband became for Sofia Rotaru not only a support, but also a person who helped her achieve success. With his filing, the Chervona Ruta group was founded, in which Sofia Mikhailovna became a soloist. Endless tours and concerts left almost no time for Sofia Rotaru's personal life, but, due to the fact that her husband was always there, she did not feel separated from her family. Together they lived for more than thirty years - until the death of Anatoly Evdokimenko.The singer was very upset by this loss, she stopped performing, appearing at ceremonial events. A year after the sad events, Rotaru first appeared on stage, dedicating her first performance to the memory of Evdokimenko.
To get rid of his ex-wife, Vasily Bogatyrev had to give her several apartments
An unexpected surge of interest in the personal life of the 70-year-old People's Artist of the USSR Sofia ROTARU was recently aroused by the singing hairdresser Sergey ZVEREV. “Rotaru? Is she free? She is quietly married, ”he said in an interview with Light Up. The singer's son Ruslan Evdokimenko hastened to come out with a refutation. “This only causes laughter,” the REN TV channel quoted him as saying. - Her heart is occupied by her husband, albeit deceased. Forever, trust me." But wasn't Sophia Mikhailovna's offspring cunning? Was she always so faithful to Anatoly Evdokimenko, who died in 2002?
It has long been no secret that even during the life of her husband, Rotaru had a very close relationship with a philanthropist Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, known in criminal circles as Alik Taiwanchik. According to eyewitnesses, the singer not only accepted expensive gifts from him, but also invited Evdokimenko to her hotel rooms in the absence of Evdokimenko.
That morning was no different from the others, the late concert director testified in his book “One Day Tomorrow Comes” Oleg Nepomniachtchi, who took Rotaru on tour in the early 70s. - I habitually knocked on the door of the three-room suite, which was occupied by Sonya and Anatoly, but, contrary to custom, no one answered my knock. I mechanically pushed the door, it swung open, I entered and froze, unable to move. She was stunningly beautiful in her nakedness. I made an incredible effort to get out of my daze and call out to her. She slyly asked not to look at her and ran into the bedroom to get dressed.
Alimzhan TOKHTAKHUNOV is closely acquainted with Sofia...
I asked where Anatoly was, she answered something, and immediately there was a knock on the door. I went to open. Before me stood a short young man with an oriental slit in his eyes and a narrow, fox-like pointed face. In his hands he held a shopping bag, from which bundles, bottles and fruits protruded. “My name is Taiwanchik,” the visitor introduced himself. “Let it pass,” Sonya replied. He went into the room and began busily laying out the contents of the string bag on the table. The abundance of products would be quite suitable for a light lunch for two. According to some phrases, I realized that Taiwanchik is directly related to the criminal environment. I was terribly curious to know how and when he met Sonya, but I had the sense not to ask stupid questions. Business was waiting for me, and I had to take my leave.
...since the 70s. Photo from personal archive Saved from arrest
Alik Taiwanchik, now known to the whole world, often came to our shooting, - recalled the ex-husband of Alla Pugacheva - a film director Alexander Stefanovich, with whom Rotaru starred in the film "Soul" in the early 80s. - He was accused of disrupting the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Like, bribed the judges to win Marina Anisina. He even sat under investigation in a prison in Venice.
We met when I was still married to Alla. Once he brought her flowers and gifts as a token of respect for her talent. When I saw him on the set of Soul, at first I couldn't remember where we'd met before. "Who is this man?" I asked Sonya. “This is my friend Alik,” she explained. It turned out that they had known each other for many years. One day we were sitting in the Yuzhnaya Hotel on the balcony of my suite and suddenly saw that black “craters” were driving up to the entrance, and policemen with machine guns were jumping out of them. "It's for me," Alik said quietly.
It turned out that he was put on the All-Union wanted list. Looks like he was being chased for playing a card game. We were not all too sympathetic to the organs. And they undertook to save Alik from arrest. They hid him in the room where our operator lived with his wife, and did not allow the policemen to enter there. Alik constantly brought baskets of delicacies and bouquets for Sonya to our shoots. And when it became cold in Moscow, he gave her a fur coat. Since then, Sonya has had a very warm relationship with Alik. She even sang at his 60th birthday in Moscow.
The only son of the singer Ruslan and his wife Svetlana are categorically against having a man with ROTARU. Photo: Instagram.com
And after deathAnatoly Evdokimenko Sophia Mikhailovna stubbornly attributed an affair with the young musician Vasily,or, as he called himself, Vassey Bogatyrev, who accompanied her on guitar during television filming.
Moreover, Vasya himself more than once publicly admitted his tender feelings for Rotar. And even in one interview in 2012, he mentioned his intention to marry her in Las Vegas. Was it not him that Sergei Zverev had in mind, speaking about the existence of a secret husband for the singer?
I and her daughter-in-law Svetlana advised me and her daughter-in-law to invite Bogatyrev to work, - said the former concert director of the people's artist Olga Konyakhina. - Once Sofia Mikhailovna was sent to his studio to record a song for the next TV project. Svetlana and I watched how Vasily steered the record. And we had an idea that he would have looked beautiful with a guitar next to Rotaru, and it would have been possible not to take musicians from Kyiv to Moscow every time to shoot and not pay them crazy money. Sofia Mikhailovna approved this idea. And Bogatyrev immediately took advantage of the situation to attract attention.
crystal rose
Despite the presence of a wife and a child, Vasily began to intensively look after Rotaru, Konyakhina continues. - He gave her a crystal rose, then some other crazy gifts. And in every possible way he played along with the press, who were eager to see them as lovers. Sofia Mikhailovna smiled favorably in response and did not stop his games in any way. Apparently, she was pleased that everyone was talking about her relationship with an interesting young guy. But there was nothing serious between them and could not be. Her son Ruslan would not let anyone close to his mother so that her money - God forbid! - did not go to the side. He did not even allow her to meet her old love - a former musician from the Chervona Ruta group, who showed up after the death of his father. “Sonya, he is old and scary,” Ruslan said. - Why do you need him?". “I would just like to see him and talk to him,” she tried to protest. But the son did not listen to her.
BOGATYREV with his young wife Inessa ALLEN. Photo: Sofia Mikhailovna Rotaru- Soviet and Ukrainian singer and actress. Sofia Rotaru - People's Artist of the USSR (1988), one of the most popular singers of the Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian stage, Hero of Ukraine (2002).
The early years and education of Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru was born on August 7, 1947 in the village of Marshintsy, Novoselytskyi district, Chernivtsi region. Sofia's family is of Moldovan origin.
Father - Mikhail Fedorovich Rotaru (1918−2004), participant in the Great Patriotic War, machine gunner. He reached Berlin, was wounded and returned to his native village. He worked as a vineyard foreman.
Mother - Alexandra Ivanovna Rotaru (1920-1997). In the family, besides Sophia, there were five children: two brothers and three sisters. The elder sister Zina (born 10/11/1942), who suffered a serious illness, lost her sight in childhood, according to the singer's biography on her website.
In her interviews, Sofia Rotaru often said that her whole family is unusually musical.
“It is difficult to say when and how music appeared in my life. It seems that she has always lived in me. I grew up among music, it sounded everywhere: at the wedding table, at gatherings, at parties, at dances ... ”, the singer said. The girl began to sing from the first grade in the school choir. In addition, although not encouraged, Sofia also sang in the church choir.
At school and after graduation, Sofia Rotaru did a lot of sports, athletics, became the all-around school champion, and went to regional olympiads. At the regional sports day in Chernivtsi, she became the winner in the 100 and 800 meters.
Sofia's first music teacher was her father. He had absolute pitch and a beautiful voice. As a schoolgirl, Sofia learned to play the domra and button accordion, and, of course, was an active participant in amateur art. And home concerts were often held at home, Rotaru's songs already delighted fellow villagers. The father was convinced that Sonya would become an artist.
And here come the first successes. Sofia Rotaru won the regional amateur art competition and entered the regional review. Compatriots began to call Sophia for her voice "Bukovina nightingale." And in subsequent years, at all competitions, Rotaru conquered the audience with her contralto, winning prestigious awards.
In 1964, Sofia Rotaru was sent to the Republican Festival of Folk Talents, where the young singer won first place. In this regard, her photo was published on the cover of the magazine "Ukraine". Seeing a photo of Sophia, her future husband Anatoly Evdokimenko fell in love with her at first sight.
1964 is a fateful year in the biography of Rotaru. Sofia Rotaru sang for the first time in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. And again victory. And after graduating from school, Sofia entered the conductor-choral department of the Chernivtsi Musical College.
At this time, the young man in love served in the Urals. By the way, Anatoly graduated from a music school, played the trumpet. The future husband of Sofia after the army entered Chernivtsi University and played in the university variety orchestra. It was Anatoly, having finally met Rotaru, who invited her to sing with a pop orchestra. Before that, Sofia sang to the accompaniment of violins and cymbals.
The musical career of the singer Sofia Rotaru
In 1968, Rotaru graduated from college and was delegated to the IX World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Bulgaria. News headlines read: "Sofia conquered Sofia."
In 1971 director Roman Alekseev directed the musical film "Chervona Ruta". Sophia was invited to the main role. After that, the Chervona Ruta ensemble was created in the Chernivtsi Philharmonic. From that moment, Rotaru and the Chervona Ruta ensemble began cooperation with a talented composer Vladimir Ivasyuk. Ivasyuk created a cycle of popular songs based on folklore music, which, performed by Sofia Rotaru, were sung throughout the Soviet Union.
After the tragic death of the composer Ivasyuk, Sofia continued to sing his songs. A Mikhail Ivasyuk- Vladimir's father - said in front of an audience of thousands of fellow countrymen: "We must bow low to the Moldovan girl Sonya, who spread my son's songs all over the world."
Success accompanied Rotaru at all concerts. Sofia sang on many famous stages of the USSR. With the Chervona Ruta ensemble, Rotaru traveled almost the whole country, had a permanent audience on radio and television, and was active in concert activities.
In 1973, in Sunny Beach (Bulgaria), Rotaru became the winner of the Golden Orpheus contest, performing the song "My City" Evgeniya Dogi and a song in Bulgarian "Bird".
In 1983, Sofia Rotaru received the title of People's Artist of the Moldavian SSR. And in May 1988, Sofia Rotaru was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, the first of the modern pop singers.
Famous Soviet composers created their songs just for her. Popular songs Arno Babajanyan("Give me back the music") Alexey Mazhukov("And the music sounds"), David Tukhmanov("Stork on the Roof", "In My House"), Yuri Saulsky("Regular melody"), Alexandra Pakhmutova("Pace"), Raymond Pauls("Dance on the drum"), Evgenia Martynova(“Swan Fidelity”, “Apple Trees in Bloom”) and many others still delight fans of Rotaru’s work.
And after the collapse of the USSR, the singer has a stable audience, including in the Russian-speaking diaspora in Europe and the USA. In 1992, a super hit performed by Rotaru - "Farmer" (music Vladimir Matetsky, poetry Mikhail Shabrov).
They did not stop listening to the songs of Sofia Rotaru in Russia either, and the singer herself, still the same young, constantly participates in TV programs, comes with concerts. In the mid-90s, Rotaru took part in the popular films "Old songs about the main thing" and "10 songs about Moscow." On "Song-96" Sofia Rotaru was recognized as the "Best Pop Singer of 1996", awarding the prize named after Claudia Shulzhenko.
Sofia recorded songs at her own studio in Yalta. In 1993, her first CD collections of the best songs were released - "Sofia Rotaru" and "Lavender", then - "Golden Songs 1985/95" and "Khutoryanka".
In 1997, Rotaru became an honorary citizen of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
In 1998, the first official CD of Sofia Rotaru was released, the album "Love Me", released under the label "Extraphone". In April, the premiere of Rotaru's new solo program Love Me took place at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Sofia recorded the song "Zasentyabrilo" in a duet with Nikolai Rastorguev.
In 1999, Star Records released two more CD compilations of the singer in the Star Series. At the end of the year, Rotaru was recognized as the best singer of Ukraine in the nomination "Traditional Variety Art".
The new millennium was marked by new high-profile titles, Rotaru was recognized as “Man of the XX century”, “Best Ukrainian pop singer of the XX century”, “Golden voice of Ukraine”, “Woman of the Year”, awarded “For a special contribution to the development of the Russian stage”.
In December 2001, Sofia Rotaru released a new solo concert program “My Life is My Love!” Dedicated to the 30th anniversary of her creative activity. The song "My Life, My Love" in 2002 opened "New Year's Light" on the ORT TV channel.
This was followed by new Rotaru albums: “I still love you”, “The sky is me”, “Lavender, Farmer, then everywhere ...”, “I loved him”, in general, Sofia took care that her fans there was something to listen to.
In 2007, Sofia Rotaru celebrated her 60th birthday with pomp. There was a solemn reception in the Livadia Palace, in October, Sofia's anniversary concerts were held in the State Kremlin Palace. President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko awarded Sophia Rotaru with the Order of Merit, II degree.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of her creative activity, Rotaru held anniversary concerts in Moscow (Grand Kremlin Palace) and St. Petersburg (Ice Palace) in October 2011.
The state of health of Rotaru
On August 26, 2018, Free Press reported that Sofia Rotaru was urgently hospitalized in the intensive care unit of one of the hospitals in Ufa.
The news reported that Rotaru had no scheduled concerts in Ufa. In the city, she performed at one of the corporate parties.
According to preliminary information, the singer's condition worsened by the end of the performance, after which she was called an ambulance and urgently hospitalized.
Doctors were allegedly forbidden to say that Rotaru is in intensive care. It is noted that the "best" doctors of the region were called to provide the necessary assistance, and "special conditions" were also prepared.
Sofia Rotaru later commented on the news of her hospitalization. According to her, the day before she really had some health problems, RIA Novosti reported.
At the same time, the artist thanked her fans for their support and care and added that she now feels fine.
Sofia Rotaru about relations between Russia and Ukraine
According to media reports, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Sofia Rotaru did not take Russian citizenship. She herself explained a little later that she was registered in Kyiv, so she was not entitled to a Russian passport by law. At the same time, according to her, she would not refuse to give her a Russian passport. Putin. “There will be no need to issue a work permit,” Sophia explained.
On the Rotaru website, you can read her appeal to the people of Ukraine, made in January 2014 during the Euromaidan. In it, Sophia appealed "to everyone with an appeal to stop the violence." "All parties to the conflict must hear each other and find a peaceful solution." There are no messages about further events, in particular, the conflict in Donbass, on Sofia Rotaru's website.
A lot of noise was made by the photo, which was posted by the singer's son in 2014 Ruslan Evdokimenko, on which Sofia with a yellow-blue flag, together with her family, congratulated the country on Independence Day. The son signed the photo on the social network with the odious nationalist greeting “Glory to Ukraine”.
Rotaru herself in an interview with Life noted that she simply congratulated the people of Ukraine on this holiday, as she “congratulated Russia many times or Uzbekistan, and other countries of the former Soviet Union.” Sophia even said that she "had a desire to be photographed with two flags - Russia and Ukraine and write:" I am for the friendship of peoples. However, she suppressed this desire.
In recent years, Sofia Rotaru has not given concerts in Russia. Its director Sergei Lavrov explains this by the fact that the singer does not want to participate in "political intrigues." “She does not give interviews, although she is offered solid fees for a television confession at home. She categorically does not want this, because if her interview appears on television in Russia, then in Ukraine she will be torn apart. Unfortunately, she became a victim of the political situation…,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by the media.
At the same time, and during the period of aggravation of Russian-Ukrainian relations, Sofia Rotaru visited Russia, in 2015 she participated in a New Year's concert on one of the Russian TV channels and performed at the 70th anniversary of the Rosatom corporation in the Kremlin.
In the summer of 2017, a creative evening dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Sofia Rotaru was held as part of the Heat music festival in Baku. There Rotaru was congratulated by many Russian colleagues, the organizer of the festival Grigory Leps made a cover of the song "I loved him" Glucose quailed the hit "Moon, Moon". Rotaru herself sang her famous songs “Chervona Ruta”, “One viburnum”, “Heaven is me”. "Melancolia" Sofia performed with her sister Aurika, and "Khutoryanka" with Potap and Nastya Kamensky.
Sophia Rotaru's income
Sofia Mikhailovna has a business in the Crimea. Rotaru opened its Villa Sofia hotel in the most prestigious area of Yalta, the so-called "New City", in early 2009. And Rotaru is also the owner of a small "gingerbread house" in the village of Nikita (7 km from Yalta).
Ukrainian Forbes in 2015 included Sofia Rotaru in the rating of "25 most expensive and popular stars of Ukraine".
At the same time, the sister of the singer Lydia Khlyabich in the same 2015, she said that due to problems with concerts in Russia, Sofia Rotaru had to cut costs and "she is already counting the money." Khlyabich also complained about the small number of vacationers at the Rotaru hotel in Yalta.
Now Sofia Rotaru lives in Kyiv, in her house in the prestigious suburb of Koncha-Zaspa.
Sofia Rotaru's personal life
Sofia Rotaru has a large family that supports her in difficult moments of life. In 1968, Sofia married Anatoly Evdokimenko, and in 1970 their son Ruslan was born.
Sofia Rotaru's husband, Anatoly Evdokimenko, died prematurely of a stroke in 2002. The singer was very upset by his loss.
Relatives help Rotar in his work: son Ruslan is a concert producer of the singer, and daughter-in-law Svetlana is a creative director and stylist.
Rotaru's granddaughter Sofia (Sonya) is engaged in horse riding and modeling business. Ukrainian news reported that in 2017, Sofia graduated from her studies in Kyiv and entered a private school in England. Granddaughter Rotaru was engaged in vocals and can follow in the footsteps of her grandmother.
Anatoly, Rotaru's grandson, studied fashion photography at London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. The young man also masters the specialties of a graphic designer and a music producer.
On the eve of her anniversary (August 7, 2017, the singer turned 70 years old), Rotaru flew to rest with her family: her son Ruslan Evdokimenko, his wife Svetlana and grandchildren - Sofia and Anatoly to Italy.
The daughter-in-law of Sofia Rotaru published many photos of their vacation on her microblog. On one of them, Svetlana Evdokimenko showed the singer without hair and makeup. Fans of the artist noted that even without makeup, Sofia Rotaru looks no worse than when stylists and makeup artists work on her.
We add that the singer, according to her, helps to stay in great shape: sports, healthy eating, a positive attitude to life and love for people.
