Gică Petrescu (; 2 April 1915 – 18 June 2006) was a prolific Romanian folk music composer and performer. Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, he made his debut at age 18 by joining a student band, having just graduated from the Gheorghe Șincai High School in his native city. 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 in the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

. Some music critics have compared his talent and public appeal to the likes of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

. 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: *''Căsuța noastră'' (Our Little House) *''București, București'' (Bucharest, Bucharest) *''Dă-i cu șprițul pân' la ziuă'' (Drink Spritz Until Daylight) *''Du-mă acasă, măi tramvai'' (Take Me Home, Tram) *''Uite-așa aș vrea să mor'' (Look, This Is How I'd Like To Die), in which the

Obor Obor is the name of a square and the surrounding district of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. There is also a Bucharest Metro station (on the Bucharest Metro Line M1, M1 line) named Obor metro station, Obor, which lies in this area. The dis ...

neighborhood is referenced; the artist playfully expresses his desire to be buried in a tavern in the area, with a glass of red wine in hand. In 1968, he was awarded the , second class. On 5 May 2003, then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ion Iliescu Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as the second 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, ...

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 Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

, as he celebrated his 88th birthday. On 18 June 2006, he was due to receive the national award "Premiile muzicale Radio România Actualități" (Musical Awards of Radio Romania News). The award was canceled, as he had died that very morning. He was 91 years old. He was buried in Bucharest's Bellu Cemetery.

References

1915 births 2006 deaths Musicians from Bucharest Romanian composers 20th-century Romanian male singers 20th-century Romanian singers Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Romania) Knights of the Order of the Star of Romania Burials at Bellu Cemetery Gheorghe Șincai National College (Bucharest) alumni {{Romania-composer-stub