A central Moscow street has been named after the cult Soviet singer and actor Vladimir Vysotsky as the country marks 35 years since his death, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin approved an earlier decision to rename two former cul-de-sacs known as Verkhny Tagansky and Nizhny Tagansky that now comprise one street in honor of the legendary performer.
“There is a museum on this street dedicated to Vysotsky and the Taganka Theater with which the poet and actor's work was so closely connected,” Deputy Mayor Leonid Pechatnikov was quoted as saying by TASS.
Vysotsky gained cult status in the Soviet Union for his trademark throaty vocals and informal songs about freedom, society and politics.
Performances of “Hamlet” at the Taganka Theater, in which Vysotsky played the title role, were frequently sold out.
While his individual stance during Soviet times meant he was largely ignored at an official level, his songs and poetry have become classics since his death in 1980 at the age of 42 after years of alcohol and drug abuse.? ?
In a 2010 survey conducted by the state-run pollster VTsIOM, Russians named Vysotsky the second greatest Russian of the 20th century after the first man in space, Yury Gagarin.