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Gică Petrescu (; 2 April 1915 – 18 June 2006) was a prolific Romanian folk music composer and performer. He made his debut at age 18 by joining a student band, having just graduated from the Gheorghe Șincai High School in 
Some music critics have compared his talent and public appeal to the likes of Frank Sinatra or Maurice Chevalier. His showmanship and charm were able to attract audiences of all ages, while his music influences combine folk with classical orchestra arrangements. He holds the record for the number of most original (composed and performed) songs (over 1,500), in an amazingly varied discography, many of which became national hits and which were covered again and again by other Romanian artists. Some of those hits are:
*''Căsuţa noastră'' (Our Little House)
*''București, București'' (Bucharest, Bucharest)
*''Dă-i cu șprițul pân' la ziuă ''(Drink Spritz Until Daylight)
*''Uite-așa aș vrea să mor'' (Look, This Is How I'd Like To Die)
On 5 May 2003, then-President of Romania
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. His official debut was made by performing for radio audiences in 1937. Between 1937 and 1939, he carried on singing with the Radu Ghindă and Dinu Șerbănescu orchestras at the Sinaia Casino ·
The Sinaia Casino ( ro, Cazinoul Sinaia) is located in "Dimitrie Ghica" park, Sinaia, Romania and was built at the initiative of King Carol I of Romania.
Construction began in 1912 and was finished a year later. The work was supervised by archi ...
in the Carpathian Mountains.
Some music critics have compared his talent and public appeal to the likes of Frank Sinatra or Maurice Chevalier. His showmanship and charm were able to attract audiences of all ages, while his music influences combine folk with classical orchestra arrangements. He holds the record for the number of most original (composed and performed) songs (over 1,500), in an amazingly varied discography, many of which became national hits and which were covered again and again by other Romanian artists. Some of those hits are:
*''Căsuţa noastră'' (Our Little House)
*''București, București'' (Bucharest, Bucharest)
*''Dă-i cu șprițul pân' la ziuă ''(Drink Spritz Until Daylight)
*''Uite-așa aș vrea să mor'' (Look, This Is How I'd Like To Die)
On 5 May 2003, then-President of Romania Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as President of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, Iliescu ...
appointed Gică Petrescu as a Knight of the Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...
as he celebrated his 88th birthday. On 18 June 2006, he was due to receive the national award "Premiile muzicale Radio România Actualități" (Radio Romania News - Musical Awards). The award was canceled, as he had died that very morning. He was 91 years old.
References
1915 births 2006 deaths Musicians from Bucharest Romanian composers 20th-century Romanian male singers Knights of the Order of the Star of Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery {{Romania-composer-stub