Zbigniew Stanisław Wodecki (; 6 May 1950 – 22 May 2017) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

singer, musician, composer, actor and TV presenter.

Early life and career

He was born on 6 May 1950 in Godów, Poland. He started to play the violin at the age of five. Since the late 1960s, he had collaborated with the

Piwnica pod Baranami The Piwnica pod Baranami ( en, The Basement, or the Cellar under the Rams) is a Polish literary cabaret located in Kraków, Poland. For over thirty years, in the People's Republic of Poland, Piwnica pod Baranami served as the most renowned politica ...

literary cabaret and singer

Ewa Demarczyk Ewa Maria Demarczyk (16 January 1941 – 14 August 2020) was a Polish singer, generally associated with the sung poetry genre and the Piwnica pod Baranami cabaret. Demarczyk was recognized as one of the most talented and charismatic singers in ...

. As a singer, he debuted in 1972 at the

National Festival of Polish Song in Opole The National Festival of Polish Song in Opole ( pl, Krajowy Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu, KFPP) is an annual music festival in Opole, Poland. Together with the Sopot Festival it is one of the two most important music festivals in Poland. The ...

. He is mostly known for the songs ''Chałupy Welcome To'', ''Lubię wracać tam, gdzie byłem'', ''Z Tobą chcę oglądać świat'' (duet with

Zdzisława Sośnicka Zdzisława Barbara Sośnicka (born 29 August 1945, in Kalisz) is a Polish singer who became popular in the 1970s and 1980s. She was awarded a Grand Prix at the 1988 National Festival of Polish Song in Opole for her entire body of work. Popular ...

) and ''Zacznij od Bacha'', as well as the Polish versions of several soundtracks – ''

Maya the Honey Bee is an anime television series produced first by Zuiyo Enterprise and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation of Osaka. After the first 6 episodes, Zuiyo Enterprise would split into Zuiyo Company and Nippon Animation, which retained the rights of th ...

'' and '' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie''. In the 1980s he performed in a cabaret with . He appeared as one of the judges on the Polish version of the ''Dancing with the Stars'' television show, ''

Taniec z gwiazdami ''Dancing with the Stars: Taniec z gwiazdami'' (previously: ''Taniec z gwiazdami'' ) is a Polish light entertainment reality television series broadcast by Polsat. It is the Polish version of the United Kingdom's popular ''Dancing with the Stars ...

'', during its first twelve seasons. Considered one of the most popular singers of the 1970s and 80s in Poland, he was awarded numerous awards for his artistic achievements including Best Debut Award at the Opole Music Festival in 1972, Journalists' Award at the Opole Music Festival in 1978, Special Award at the Opole Music Festival in 1991, 2 Fryderyk Awards in 2016 and a Golden Fryderyk Award in 2018, Silver

Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

in 2011 and posthumously the Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

(2017).

Health problems and death

In 2014, Wodecki revealed that he had atrial fibrillation and

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

. On 8 May 2017, the artist suffered a massive stroke, a complication from

bypass surgery Bypass surgery refers to a class of surgery involving rerouting a tubular body part. Types include: * Vascular bypass surgery such as coronary artery bypass surgery, a heart operation * Cardiopulmonary bypass, a technique used in coronary artery ...

he had at a private clinic, on 5 May 2017; and was taken to intensive care at Central Clinical Hospital of the MSWiA in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, where he died 13 days later, of complications from the stroke.

Personal life

Wodecki and his wife, Krystyna, had three children: Joanna, Katarzyna and Pawel. His family was from Łaziska,

Wodzisław County __NOTOC__ Wodzisław County ( pl, powiat wodzisławski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the ...

. He was an honorary citizen of

Gmina Godów Gmina Godów is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Wodzisław County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Godów. The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2019 its total population is 13,758. Villages The ...

(Wodzisław County). He was known as an ally of the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community.

References

External links

* * * 1950 births 2017 deaths People from Wodzisław County Musicians from Kraków 20th-century Polish male singers 21st-century Polish male singers Recipient of the Meritorious Activist of Culture badge {{Poland-musician-stub