The very first day of the new year 2026 brought sad news. As reported by relatives to Latvian Radio, composer, founder, and leader of the legendary pop ensemble 'Eolika' Boris Reznik has passed away.
He is credited with numerous hits — 'Labrit, with you Riga speaks' (in Latvian and Russian), 'Strawberry Meadow', 'Peace, peace', 'You laughed in your sleep', 'I am not Jane Fonda'. In total, more than a hundred songs.
The last time Boris Reznik appeared in public was about four years ago, when he celebrated his 75th birthday and was preparing with the group for a tour of the cities of Latvia.
Shortly before that, he gave an interview to the LSM portal.
In it, he said that the tour was a kind of farewell for him.
"And mostly my work now is related to the recording studio, where I do everything I need and want. It’s a daily, sometimes difficult job, related to advertising, for example. And also, perhaps you’ve heard of the satirical show 'Reserve' on Deutsche Welle, in Russian..."
Boris's words from that time sound particularly relevant today. They referred to his memories of a concert in Afghanistan in 1985, where Soviet troops were stationed.
"The concerts were attended by those who served there — during this, let’s say, war. And after each concert, someone from Latvia or nearby places — from Estonia, Lithuania, Kaliningrad, Leningrad — would come up to us. Those who were from the Baltic region. Many cried. And I remember, someone from the Latvian soldiers asked me: 'Can I touch Olga Raetskaya?' It’s worth remembering that this idiotic war was unnecessary for anyone. But I remember that during those concerts, people were happy! Soldiers would come up to us and ask with tears in their eyes: how is it back home? How are things? It was an incredible feeling that I have never experienced again in my life and probably will not experience again. And thank God, I won’t..."
Boris Reznik was born on May 3, 1947, in Riga. Since 1972, he led the musical group 'Eolika'. In 1993, together with composer Ivars Vigners, he founded the recording studio Studio 55. He was a laureate of the National Recording Award of Latvia (1997), an officer of the Order of the Three Stars (2010), and was awarded a certificate of honor from the President of Latvia (2021).
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