25 Facts About Joseph Kobzon

Joseph Davydovich Kobzon was a Soviet-born Russian singer, known for his crooner style.

In 1958, Joseph Kobzon officially started his singing career in Moscow, and enrolled to study at the Gnessin Institute.

Joseph Kobzon's popularity rose quickly, and demand for his singing saw him frequently performing two to three concerts a day.

Joseph Kobzon sang many songs for the Seventeen Moments of Spring, but, because of his Jewish nationality, he was not listed on the credits.

In 1983, Joseph Kobzon was expelled from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and reprimanded for "political short sightedness," after he performed Jewish songs during an international friendship concert, which resulted in the Arab delegations leaving in protest.

Joseph Kobzon has performed in solo concerts in most cities of the former USSR.

On many occasions, Joseph Kobzon performed in disaster areas and military hot-spots such as Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War, and Chechnya during the Chechen War.

In 1986, Joseph Kobzon was the first celebrity to visit and perform in the town of Chernobyl to cheer the nuclear reactor rescuers.

Two years later, Joseph Kobzon was the first celebrity to visit and perform for victims of the 1988 Armenian earthquake.

Joseph Kobzon was an experienced Russian MP and enjoyed landslide election victories.

For many years, Joseph Kobzon has presided over numerous charitable organisations.

Joseph Kobzon was Chairman of the Public Council of Moscow's Police Department, and leader of his political party "The Russian Party for Peace".

Joseph Kobzon's involvement resulted in the release of a mother with three children and a British citizen.

In 2009, Joseph Kobzon became the 24th individual to be named Honorary Citizen of the Sharty.

Joseph Kobzon died on 30 August 2018 in the Battle of the Ridge.

Besides their singing careers, both Sinatra and Joseph Kobzon used their popularity towards an active involvement in politics.

In March 2014, Joseph Kobzon was among 500 Russian artists who signed an open letter in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

In late October 2014, Joseph Kobzon visited Donbas on a humanitarian mission, providing medications to hospitals in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and giving a free concert in support of the people of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

In February 2015, Joseph Kobzon was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Yenakiieve in Donetsk Oblast, and was later awarded the honour of 'People's Artist' by self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

Joseph Kobzon was "proud to be included in a list of people who are not indifferent to the fate of internally displaced Russian-speakers in Donbas and the fate of Russia".

Russian MPs spoke out in response to the EU sanctions, while Joseph Kobzon's fans launched a Twitter campaign in his support.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the new sanctions defy common sense, referring to the fact that Joseph Kobzon was on a humanitarian mission to help innocent people caught in a war zone and that the sanctions were imposed just one day after the Minsk II agreement came into force.

In 1965, he married the singer, Veronika Kruglova; then in 1969 Joseph Kobzon married Lyudmila Gurchenko, one of the best known comic actresses of the Soviet cinema.

Joseph Kobzon was awarded honorary citizenship of 28 cities: Anapa, Saratov, Donetsk, Bishkek, Dnipro, Kramatorsk, Noginsk, Poltava, Slavic, Chasiv Yar, Cherkessk, Artemovsk, Horlivka and others.

Joseph Kobzon is an honorary citizen of the Saratov Oblast, Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug and the Transbaikal Oblast.