Olavi Virta

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Olavi Virta (originally to 1926 Oskari Olavi Ilmen) (27 February 1915, Sysmä - 14 July 1972, Tampere) was a Finnish singer, acclaimed as the king of Finnish tango^[1]. Between 1939 and 1966 he recorded almost 600 songs, many of which are classics of Finnish popular music, and appeared in many films and theatrical productions. Of his most acclaimed tangos are "Punatukkaiselle tytölleni", "Ennen kuolemaa" and "Täysikuu," while standouts from his other popular music are "Poika varjoisalta kujalta", "Hopeinen kuu", "Eva" and "Kultainen nuoruus." He was also the second tenor of the quartet Kipparikvartetti in the early 1950s. At the beginning of his career he received three gold records for the songs "Ennen kuolemaa", "Tulisuudelma" and "La Cumparsita". Olavi Virta's career was cut short by a scandalous arrest for drunken driving in 1962, after which the press mockingly called him "The Singing Meatball." Ten years later he succumbed to alcoholism, living his final years in poverty.