“Absolutely charming boy”: how will Yury Shatunov be remembered

On the night of June 22-23, a Soviet and Russian artist, former soloist of the Laskovy May group, Yuri Shatunov, died at the age of 48.

The cause of death was a massive heart attack.

“Tonight, in the ambulance, Yura Shatunov’s heart stopped,” the artist’s representative said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Condolences in connection with the death of Shatunov are expressed by his friends and colleagues.

Singer Irina Saltykova, in a conversation with RT, said that she was shocked by the news.

“I still can't figure it out.

For me, he is a young, healthy guy, led a normal life.

Only his work went well - I mean his songs.

Very sad.

He was a good guy,” she said.

Artist Vika Tsyganova called Shatunov "a man of his time", and the group "Tender May" - "a unique phenomenon."

“Of course, people of that generation will remember and love him, I myself love the song “White Roses”.

I didn’t even expect ... Not even at the moment when she appeared, but when I became much older, because she is very naive, very touching, ”says Tsyganova.

According to the memoirs of Lolita Milyavskaya, Yuri Shatunov has always been "an absolutely charming boy", despite his age.

The artist noted that Shatunov was calm about the fact that somewhere "he may not be musically appropriate."

“But somehow he was treated with respect, and in return he received exactly the same respect from senior colleagues.

I think that he defeated the contemptuous attitude of the musicians to "Tender May" with his charm.

This is an entire era.

Until close friends confirmed it to me, I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was an Internet duck, ”Lolita told RT.

Andrey Razin, producer of the Laskovy May group, also admitted that he could not believe the news.

“Journalists called me today.

I hope this is some kind of fake.

That's terrible.

I can’t comment on this yet, I hope that this is still not true, ”360 quotes Razin.

Producer Iosif Prigogine is also shocked by the death of Yuri Shatunov.

“Just a shock, nothing else.

So far, only shock.

I can express my condolences to family and friends.

Nothing but condolences to say.

What was he like?

Since 1988, to maintain popularity is saying something, ”the radio station Moscow Speaks quotes Prigozhin. 

Maria Katz, in an interview with RT, called Shatunov a "mega-popular artist" and said that she was very saddened by his death.

“It’s even just in such a human attitude.

As for music, I have never been a fan of this style, but this does not mean at all that I am not sad at the moment, ”says the singer.

Tatyana Bulanova remembered Yuri Shatunov as simple and very pleasant in communication. 

“When we met, I was amazed at how simple Yura is in a good way - without quirks and stardom.

Very pleasant and wonderful.

He talked about his difficult childhood.

And I was amazed that everything that happened did not break him.

He became a real person, - quotes the words of the artist "Gazeta.Ru".

- I liked the way he sings.

Recently I saw on some channel his early clip.

He sang very well, considering that he did not study anywhere.

This is an absolute talent from God.

It makes me incredibly sad to realize that he is no more.”

Music critic Artur Gasparyan told Sputnik radio that the death of Yuri Shatunov came as a surprise to everyone, since information about his health problems was not widely disseminated, and the artist himself was optimistic.

“This unexpected death is a huge loss, it’s a shock, a situation that is difficult to somehow tamp down in your head, because, of course, you don’t expect such turns.

There was no reliable or wide information about health problems, Yura Shatunov periodically appeared on some shootings of television shows, he always exuded optimism, ”says the expert.

He added that "a huge number of fans of both Yura Shatunov and the music of Tender May are in a state of death."

Vladimir Politov, a member of the Na-Na group, also expressed his condolences.

The artist remembered that for some time he was confused with Yuri Shatunov.

"Very sorry.

Sadly.

We didn’t really face each other, because in different weight categories.

But when I came to Na-Na, I was always confused with Shatunov.

Because I had the same hairstyle, the same appearance.

I would not say that I was flattered, because I had been ill with "Tender May" back in the late 1980s.

Still, they have a slightly different music and the concept was “musical theater,” Gazeta.Ru quotes the musician.

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Yuri Shatunov was born on September 6, 1973 in an ambulance on the way to the maternity hospital in the city of Kumertau (Bashkir ASSR).

In 1982, he made his first public appearance.

Two years later, the boy's mother became very ill, and Yuri ended up in a boarding school.

After the death of his mother, Shatunov escaped from the boarding school and wandered around Bashkiria and the Orenburg region.

In 1985, he ended up in an orphanage, and when the director of the institution was transferred to an Orenburg boarding school, the guy left with her.

It was there that his musical talents were discovered.

The head of the amateur art circle, Sergei Kuznetsov, studied vocals with Yuri and helped him record his first songs.

In 1986, Kuznetsov and Shatunov came up with the name of the group "Tender May", and on December 30, the aspiring artist first performed Kuznetsov's songs in the assembly hall - he sang "Summer", "Melting Snow", "Let There Be Night", etc.

Hits such as "White Roses" and "Gray Night" were recorded in 1987, and a year later Sergey Kuznetsov sold the recording of the first album "Tender May" for 30 rubles.

In September 1988, Shatunov, together with Kuznetsov, left for Moscow, where the young performer met producer Andrei Razin.

A few days later, Shatunov re-recorded his first album already at the Record studio in the capital, and on September 20 he went on his first tour of the cities of the USSR.

For three years, the group occupied the top lines of the charts and actively performed on the stages of the country, gathering tens of thousands of listeners. 

In 1991, Yuri Shatunov left Tender May and went to Germany, where he studied as a sound engineer.

Then the solo career of the performer began.

He no longer gave concerts, but continued to record in the studio.

A few years later, the musician resumed cooperation with Sergei Kuznetsov and released the album "Do You Remember".

Together they recorded several more records, which included both new and old songs.

In 2015, Shatunov received an award for his contribution to the development of Russian show business at the Soundtrack award ceremony.

The performer did not say goodbye to music and periodically delighted fans with new releases.

At the beginning of 2022, Yuri Shatunov went on tour in Ufa, Cheboksary, Kazan and Kirov.

In the same year, he released a video for the song "Do not argue with me."

The musician was married to lawyer Svetlana Shatunova, whom he met in Germany in 2000.

They have two children, son Dennis and daughter Estella.