Yuri Shatunov died on June 23. What happened on that fateful day and who inherited his legacy? 0 16

1. A symbolic coincidence of circumstances of birth and death

After the tragic passing of the artist, his close ones recalled that Yuri was born in an ambulance on the way to the maternity hospital. Forty-eight years later, his life ended in an ambulance that was taking him to the hospital.

...At the end of June 2022, Shatunov landed in Moscow after another series of concerts. He planned to catch his breath, go fishing in the Moscow region, and fly to his family in Germany in a couple of days. In the morning, he complained to his friend Arkady Kudryashov about feeling unwell. They decided it was just ordinary tour fatigue. In the afternoon, his condition worsened, and in the evening, Shatunov lost consciousness. His friends drove him to a hospital in the village of Rastunovo, from where he was transported by ambulance to the district intensive care unit. But the doctors could no longer help: his heart had stopped.

2. The artist had been walking around with a heart attack all day

The doctors who fought for his life reported that the heart attack that caused his death occurred about a day before the ambulance was called. Yuri had been going about for almost a day after suffering a massive heart attack, unaware of it.

The chief physician of the Domodedovo hospital later explained that if Shatunov had sought medical help at the first symptoms — pressing pain, weakness, cold sweat — he could have been saved. But the artist attributed everything to fatigue. Cardiologists add that men around 50 years old with a busy schedule and stress are at risk. Shatunov met all the criteria.

3. Some fans insisted on the version of murder

Some fans and even some colleagues publicly stated that they did not believe in natural death. They believe that the singer could have been poisoned or deliberately not provided timely assistance.

For instance, producer Andrei Razin claimed that Shatunov was "poisoned, beaten, and hastily cremated" to avoid finding traces of tranquilizers. He even said that he hired private detectives from Israel and America who "almost tracked down the gang that killed Yura." No evidence was publicly presented. Shatunov's family and entourage did not comment on these statements.

4. The cremation sparked rumors among fans

Shatunov's body was cremated, and the urn with his ashes was sealed at Troekurovsky Cemetery. This method of burial gave rise to numerous conspiracy theories — from attempts to hide possible traces of a crime to rumors that the singer staged his own death.

However, the family and the singer's director revealed that the cremation was a personal wish of Yuri himself. According to his last will, part of the ashes was buried in Russia, while another part was scattered over his favorite lake in Bavaria.

5. Yuri did not believe in the "Laskovyi May" curse

Fans have long talked about the mystique of "Laskovyi May": Shatunov became the 16th member of the group to die young or under strange circumstances. Some died in accidents, some fell from windows, and some were killed by bullets. Many of them did not live to see 50. The singer himself did not believe in rock curses and considered these deaths coincidences.

6. Shatunov wrote songs and poems that became prophetic

After his death, his director published the last song "Everyone Has Their Own," the lyrics of which began to be perceived as a farewell to life. It contained lines: "Here I am, like a light bird, leaving my yesterday's captivity." A poem was also recalled in which the artist pondered how many "stages were left."

7. The artist secretly helped those in need

After Yuri's passing, it became known that he had been engaged in charity work for many years but kept it well hidden. In particular, according to historian Seregin, he provided money for the funeral, monument, and memorial service of another famous singer, Evgeny Osin.

8. Shortly before his death, Shatunov achieved an important legal victory

Just three days before his death, Shatunov won a long-standing lawsuit against producer Andrei Razin for the rights to perform the main hits of "Laskovyi May." This victory became the last and most important in his life. However, Razin later stated that "Yuri was killed by joy" — allegedly, the court victory affected his heart more than the grief.

9. His wife Svetlana did not listen to Yuri's songs before they met

After moving to Germany at the invitation of a concert agency, Shatunov initially lived in rented apartments and studied to be a sound engineer. In 2000, he met Svetlana at a New Year's party. She did not know his songs — and this turned out to be the best thing that could happen. "Love at first sight," he would later say.

In 2006, their son Dennis was born, and a few months later, they got married. Later, their daughter Estella was born. The family settled in Hesse, in a quiet gated community. Shatunov did not take his children on stage or force them to sing. "They are just kids, they love games and computers," he said.

10. The artist's heirs became his wife and children

The first-line heirs are his widow Svetlana, son, and daughter. There is enough material property. In Moscow, there is a one-room apartment in the south. In Sochi, there was a house gifted by Razin, but it stood empty for many years and was later sold. The main asset is a house in Germany, in a gated community, worth about 3.5 million euros.

The main savings are the money Shatunov took after leaving "Laskovyi May." At that time, Razin paid him a one-time bonus of 10 million dollars. Part went to the house, and part remained in accounts. Colleagues believe that the total capital exceeds 6 million euros.

The main value is the rights to perform the hits of "Laskovyi May," which Shatunov won from Andrei Razin just days before his death.