MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The opera world mourns the loss of the extraordinary, prominent Soviet-era opera singer Zurab Sotkilava, who died in Moscow on Monday, at the age of 80, The Bolshoi Theater’s Director General Vladimir Urin informed TASS.
"Zurab Sotkilava, a remarkable artist of the Bolshoi Theater, has died. He had a grave illness and he fought it until the end," Urin said.
The time for the lying-in-state ceremony and the funeral will be reported later.
Soviet, Georgian and Russian opera singer Zurab Sotkilava was born on March 12, 1937, in the city of Sukhumi. After graduating from the Tbilisi Conservatory, Sotkilava launched his career in the Paliashvili Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater and later underwent training at La Scala, in Milan. In the 1960s-1970s, Sotkilava won several international contests. In 1973, the artist made his first appearance on the Bolshoi Theater’s stage in Bizet’s Carmen, after which he was taken into the company and soon became its leading soloist. During his extensive career, Sotkilava performed on the world's best stages and received numerous prestigious awards.