Yuri Bogatikov is a well-known name not only in the USSR, but also far beyond its borders. This man was a famous artist. But how did his fate develop in his career and personal life?
Childhood and youth of Yuri Bogatikov
Yuri Bogatikov was born on February 29, 1932 in the small Ukrainian town of Rykovo, which is located near Donetsk. Today this city has been renamed and is called Yenakiyevo. He spent his childhood in the Donetsk region, but not in his native Rykovo, but in another city - Slavyansk.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Yura, his mother, brothers and sister were evacuated to the Uzbek Bahara. My father, like many men at that difficult time, ended up at the front, and, unfortunately, died in one of the battles.
From an early age, Bogatikov was interested in singing. He got it from his father. After all, he often sang while doing homework, and Yura, like his brothers and sisters, did not hesitate to sing along. However, after the end of the war, a difficult time began, and Bogatikov could not dream of a career as a singer. He assumed the role of head of the family and was forced to provide for the younger children.
Study and first job, singer's service
To do this, Yura went to Kharkov and soon moved his family there. In order to have money for existence, the guy went to work at a local bike factory. He entered the vocational school of communications and tried to combine these two activities. It worked out very well for him.
At the end of his studies, Yura became an equipment repair mechanic and got a job at the Kharkov telegraph. In his free time, he attended amateur art circles, where he sang along with his associates.
The head of the telegraph office where Bogatikov worked, saw talent in him and invited him to enter a music school. The study was given to the guy very easily, and he received a diploma in 1959. True, he interrupted his studies for a while, since in the period from 1951 to 1955. served in the Pacific Fleet. But even during the period of his service, Yura did not leave singing; he performed with other soldiers in the local ensemble.
The musical career of the artist Yuri Bogatikov
After receiving a diploma in musical education, Bogatikov became a member of the Kharkov Theater of Musical Comedy. His talent was appreciated, and a little later he was invited to the Donbass State Song and Dance Ensemble. He also performed at the Lugansk and Crimean Philharmonics, while simultaneously being the artistic director of the Crimea ensemble.
Consistently, Yuri began to take a strong place on the stage. The compositions “Where the Motherland Begins”, “Dark Mounds Sleep” were liked by millions of Soviet citizens and are popular even in the modern world. These songs were close to ordinary people.
In 1967, Bogatikov participated in the competition for young talents and easily won it, and soon won the Golden Orpheus. Several years passed, and the singer was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Soviet Union.
Yuri denied the phonogram and criticized all performers who allow themselves such antics. Once he even criticized the well-known Alla Pugacheva.
In between performances, Bogatikov was engaged in writing poems, which he read with pleasure to interested listeners. This is his old hobby. In the 1980s, he joined the Urfin-Juice group, in which he played the guitar.
After the collapse of the USSR, Yuri had a black streak in his career. He lost his job, because of this, his financial situation gradually worsened. This led to the fact that Bogatikov began to abuse alcohol. Then Leonid Grach (the best friend of the singer) took him to the grave of Yulia Drunina. She committed suicide due to the collapse of the Union. This had a positive effect on Yuri, and almost immediately he overcame alcohol addiction. And soon the artist was able to return to the stage.
Yuri Bogatikov and his personal life
Bogatikov was not only a favorite of the public, but also of the fairer sex. Thanks to his natural charm and charisma, he literally slew women to pieces. A tall, moderately well-fed and portly man, an open face is the dream of all Soviet girls.
Yuri was married three times. He first married Lyudmila, who worked at the Kharkov Drama Theater, where he met her. In marriage, the couple had a daughter, Victoria.
The second wife of the singer was Irina Maksimova, and the third was the director of musical programs - Tatyana Anatolyevna. As Bogatikov stated, it was in his last marriage that he felt truly happy. Tatyana was with him both in moments of joy and in grief. She supported him even at the most difficult moment, when in the 1990s the performer heard from doctors the disappointing diagnosis "Oncology".
It was because of this disease that the legendary singer died. He died on December 8, 2002 due to an oncological tumor of the lymphatic system. Several operations, as well as courses of chemotherapy, did not help to overcome the disease. Yuri Bogatikov was buried at the Abdal cemetery, which is located in Simferopol.
