Russian singer Lyudmila Zykina dies at age 80

July 1, 2009

Lyudmila Zykina, Soviet and Russian national singer, died today, just one month after her 80th birthday. She was highly popular in Russia and named no less than "Queen of Russian folk".

In 1947 Zykina joined the famous Pyatnitsky Choir. Her popularity increased when she started a solo career—the song Flows the river Volga remains an immense hit up to the present time.

As Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said, "Lyudmila Zykina was a personification of Russia."

The funeral will take place on July 4 at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.