Renown Bulgarian Archaeologist Rasho Rashev Dies in Train Fire

The 64-year-old Director of the National Archaeological Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Rasho Rashev was among the nine Bulgarians who were burned to death in the Sofia-Kardam train fire on February 28 while returning to his native city of Shumen. Rashev was a professor of archeology at the Shumen University, the Veliko Turnovo University, and the Varna Free University. He specialized in research on medieval Bulgaria and the First Bulgarian State, the first Bulgarian capital Pliska, and the medieval cities in today's northeast Bulgaria. He is the author of five books and over 150 publications.


Legendary Bulgarian Drummer Petar Slavov Dies at 66

The famous Bulgarian drummer and music manager Petar Slavov died on April 1 at the age of 66. Slavov has been one of the members of Bulgaria's legendary FSB rock formation since 1979. He was also among the musicians, who wrote the history of jazz in Bulgaria, along with the world famous pianist Milcho Leviev. Slavov performed on the same stage with stars like Dexter Gordon and Roy Haynes.


Bulgaria's Science Fiction Author Lyuben Dilov Dies at 80

Bulgaria's most famous science fiction writer Lyuben Dilov, author of more than 35 books published all over the world, died on June 10 at the age of 80. Lyuben Dilov was born in 1927 in the town of Cherven Bryag. He graduated from Sofia University majoring in Bulgarian language and literature. His most popular books are "The Atomic Man" and "The Way of the Ikarus". Dilov has won a lot of prizes for his science fiction novels in Bulgaria and abroad. He himself founded the Graviton Awards given for "good imagination and goodness of imagination".


Bulgarian Socialist MP Dies at 57

The Member of Parliament from the Bulgarian Socialist Party Yovko Yovkov passed away unexpectedly on July 2 at the age of 57. Yovkov was born in 1951 in the town of Sevlievo. He was elected a MP in the present 40th Parliament where he served as a member of the Finance Committee, the Disasters Policy Committee, and the Regional Policy Committee.


Bulgarian Composer and Conductor Vili Kazasyan Dies at 74

One of the most famous Bulgarian composers and conductors Vili Kazasyan died on July 12. The 74-year-old Kazasyan has been the Director and conductor of the Big Band of the Bulgarian National Radio for over 35 years. He was born in Sofia in 1934. In 1957 he graduated as an engineer from Sofia's Technical University. After that he studied at the State Music Academy. Kazasyan was active in jazz festivals, and dozens of Bulgarian and international music forums. His name is associated with some of the most famous Bulgarian radio and TV music shows over the years, including with the Golden Orpheus Music Festival. In March-June 2008 Kazasyan appeared as one of the four members of the jury in the Music Idol TV song contest - the Bulgarian version of American Idol, which ran on the bTV channel.


Renown Bulgarian Archaeologist Georgi Kitov Dies of Heart Attack

One of the most renown Bulgarian archeologists Georgi Kitov died unexpectedly of heart attack on September 15 in his hotel room in Starosel, Plovdiv District. The 65-year-old specialist on Ancient Thrace was in the village of Starosel for excavations of a Thracian settlement. Kitov was born in the southwest Bulgarian town of Dupnitsa in 1943. He graduated with a degree in history from Sofia University "St. Kliment of Ohrid" in 1966, and specialized art history in the St. Petersburg State University in 1974-5. Over the last quarter of a century Georgi Kitov made some of the greatest archaeological discoveries about Ancient Thrace including the Strelcha tombs, the religious complex at Starosel, the 673-gram gold masque of the Thracian king Sevt III at his tomb at Shipka, the Alexander Tomb at Haskovo. He is the author of over 200 articles and 10 monographs on the history, culture, and religion of the Ancient Thracians.


Novinite's First Editor-in-Chief Martina Iovcheva Dies in Tragic Accident

The first Editor-in-Chief of Novinite.com Martina Iovcheva died on September 20 in a tragic accident in Sofia. After working as the Editor-in-Chief of Novinite.com in 2001-2003, Martina worked as the press attaché of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sofia. In 2005 Martina became the first Bulgarian to work at the press service of the European Parliament where she championed the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet in the offices of the institution. Martina was a great person, a dedicated colleague, and a highly qualified professional!


Renown Bulgarian Poet Konstantin Pavlov Dies at 75

The renown Bulgarian poet and playwright Konstantin Pavlov died at the age of 75 on September 29. Pavlov's poems have been translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian. He has been widely recognized as one of the authors with greatest impact on Bulgaria's modern literature and culture as early as the 1960s. In the words of the Russian poetess Anna Akhmatova, Konstantin Pavlov was the greatest Bulgarian poet she ever read. Between 1966 and 1975 the communist regime banned Pavlov from publishing his literary works. In 2000 Konstantin Pavlov was awarded the National Poetry Award "Nikola Furnadzhiev" for his contribution to the Bulgarian poetry. In 2005 he received the National Literary Award "Hristo G. Danov" for his poems and plays, and for his contribution to the development of Bulgaria's civil society.


Bulgaria's Former State Administration Minister Dies at 62

Bulgaria's former State Administration Minister and former Mayor of the city of Ruse Dimitar Kalchev passed away on November 1 after a long sickness. Kalchev, 62, died while going through medical treatment in Sofia's Governmental Hospital. He served as Minister of State Administration in the government of the former monarch Simeon Saxe-Coburg in 2001-2005.


Renown Bulgarian Director and Writer Leon Daniel Dies at 81
2 December 2008, Tuesday

One of the most renown Bulgarian theater and TV directors Leon Daniel died on December 2 at the age of 81 in Sofia. Leon Daniel was born in the Danube city of Ruse on February 17, 1927. In 1952 he graduated from the Leningrad Theater Institute with a degree in theater production. Later Daniel worked in the Ruse Threater, the Burgas Theater, the Bulgarian National Television, the Documentaries Studio, the Vratsa Theater, the Musical Theater, and Theater "Sofia". After 1982 he worked at the Theater of the Bulgarian Army. Leon Daniel has also directed one movie, and is the author of several books. He received the theater production award of the Bulgarian Actors' Union three times. In 2003 the President Georgi Parvanov awarded Daniel Bulgaria's highest order "Stara Planina" for his overall contribution to Bulgarian culture.


Renown Bulgarian Economist Dikran Tebejan Dies at 66

The Deputy Chair and Member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian Industrial Association Dikran Tebejan died on December 18, less than a month before his 67th birthday. The renown Bulgarian economist Dikran Tebejan was born on January 4, 1942, in the southern Bulgarian city of Yambol. He majored in industrial economy at the University for National and World Economy in Sofia, and then worked at the Foreign Trade Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Trade. In 1974-1991, Tebejan was a professor at the International Economic Relations Department of the University for National and World Economy in Sofia. He joined the Bulgarian Industrial Association in 1997, and became its Deputy Chair in 1999. Since 1996, Tebejan has been a member of the Supervisory Council of the National Social Security Institute. He is also a member of the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria, and of the Supervisory Committee of the Human Resources Operational Program. Tebejan is the author of a number of articles and publications on industrial relations, tax policy, and social security.

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