Soviet-era crooner Kobzon sported a trademark glossy black wig during his successful career - but he allegedly had links to the Russian underworld
RUSSIAN singing legend Joseph Kobzon has died at the age of 80, according to reports.
The Soviet-era crooner and pal of Vladimir Putin allegedly succumbed to cancer after undergoing last-ditch treatment at a Moscow clinic.
Dubbed Russia's answer to Frank Sinatra, Kobzon was also a successful businessman and politician.
But his closeness to the Kremlin hierarchy put him in the firing line as he was slapped with EU sanctions in 2015 following Russia's provocation in Ukraine.
At the time he said: "I spit on their sanctions" — and vowed to perform for Russian-speaking supporters in the disputed Donbas region and Crimea.
In one of his final interviews earlier this month, Kobzon described the moment he was diagnosed with an incurable illness as a "terrible blow".
Doctors had told him in 2002 that he only had weeks to live and he worried about never getting on stage again.
He told Russia's Days.ru: "When I came out of oblivion, my first thought was: 'Will I ever get on stage, sing? If not, then it is pointless to wake up'."
But after two surgeries in Germany and several chemotherapy sessions he managed to continue performing — while keeping his illness a secret.
A native of the Donbass region of Ukraine which was formerly part of Russia, Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar in 1937.
He began singing as a young boy and even performed in concerts dedicated to ruthless dictator Josef Stalin.
But Kobzon hit the big time at the age of 21 when he signed as a professional artist following his training with tutors in the Soviet Army.
He recorded his first record in 1962 and sporting his glossy black wig would go on to perform at dozens of official state concerts and other major Russian events.
Meanwhile, he was able to pursue a successful political career, serving as the head of the State Duma's culture committee among other roles during his 29-year career as an MP.
But he was allegedly closely linked to Russian gangland boss Vyacheslav Ivankov — nicknamed "Yaponchik" — who was gunned down in Moscow in 2009.
Among his keenest supporters is Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has wrote personal praise to the singer.
And former Russian president Michail Gorbachev said Kobzon used "great emotion and skill" to tell "the story of several generations of our vast Motherland".
In a 2014 tribute, Gorvachev added: "He can rightly be regarded as one of the founding fathers of the culture of Soviet song, a remarkable phenomenon both then and now.
"Everything that Kobzon sang and continues to sing - from triumphant festival marches and spirited pop songs to the most lyrical songs and folk tunes – it’s all an essential part of the musical biography of our multi-ethnic Fatherland.
"That’s probably the key secret to the singer’s enduring popularity.
"When each of us listens to him, we recognise something that belongs to us, something close to us, something that touches the soul."
Married three times, Kobzon leaves behind two children and wife Ninel Drizina.
