SPLIT, Croatia (AP) — Croatia is having a national day of mourning to mark the death of Oliver Dragojevic, one of the most popular pop singers in the former Yugoslavia adored for his romantic songs celebrating love and the Adriatic Sea.
Commemorating events are held in Split, on the Adriatic coast, and later Tuesday thousands are expected to bid farewell as Dragojevic's body leaves on a boat for a burial Wednesday at his native island of Korcula.
Many people cried during a somber gathering attended by Croatia's top officials at the Split theatre. The crowd stood up and sang one of Dragojevic's songs and applauded for several minutes.
Dragojevic died Sunday at age 70. He remained popular in the former Yugoslavia even after the country broke up in a war in the 1990s.
