When the year crashed. And fall scorched by a star... how Viktor Tsoi died

On August 15, 1990, Viktor Tsoi passed away. Much has been written about his death in a car accident. But the most complete and truthful, it seems to me, were two articles written by Oleg Belikov, based on the journalist’s trip to the site of the tragedy in November 1990. One was published in the newspaper "Live Sound", the second in the magazine "Rolling Stone".

These are the articles

Rolling Stone "There will be no cinema"

The idea of ​​going to the place of Tsoi’s death did not arise from me. One of my acquaintances in the capital, a certain Svetka, told me: “We are going to hitchhike to Tukums in November, to the place where Tsoi crashed. Will you come with us?” This idea stuck so tightly in my head that I collected all the available cash - about 300 rubles, bought 2 cartons of Opal cigarettes and went to the editorial office of the local newspaper Znamya Oktyabrya. Having presented to Galina Ivanovna, the editor-in-chief, a proposal to send me on a business trip to “investigate the causes of the death of Viktor Tsoi,” I actually had absolutely no idea how I would conduct this investigation. And so I asked to be given some official document. Credentials.
“We’ll give you paper, of course, but no money!” said Galina Ivanovna. “I’ll go to my own!” I answered, and we began to think about which “grandfather’s village” to address it to. The smartest decision seemed to be to choose the prosecutor of the Tukumsky district as the addressee (since there is a district, it means there must be a prosecutor, and he will always be the head of the police). The paper said that correspondent so-and-so was “sent to collect material about the last days of Viktor Tsoi’s life. Please provide him with all possible assistance.”

Having stuffed a camera, a flash, a dozen films and canned food into my bag, I soon stood in front of Svetka and her two friends, who also decided to “see the place.” Coming out of the metro, we wandered towards the highway. "To Riga". I had very little faith that such and such a truck driver would, behind some devil, put such a horde in his cab and drive it “for nothing” all the way to Riga. Therefore, decisively leaving the girls fifteen meters from the traffic police post, taking out my “safe conduct letter” and editorial ID, I went to the post. The policeman, carefully running his eyes over the papers and seeing the menacing word “prosecutor,” said: “Well, we’ll have to wait a little until we catch the right car. Are these also with you?” he nodded towards the girls. “Yes, correspondents too!” I answered as nonchalantly as possible.
The “right car” was found on the fourth try. “This, take the correspondents towards Riga,” the traffic cop said to the driver. “These?” the driver looked at us incredulously. “Yeah, the documents are in order, I checked.” “Well, let them sit down,” he replied doomedly. In the cockpit, we immediately take the Elektronika-302 tape recorder out of our bag and turn on Tsoi. About halfway, the driver drops us off and goes to sleep at some truck stop known only to him. We, invigorated, trudge along the highway. To top it all off, it's snowing inappropriately. Cold. Rare cars do not stop or “go the wrong way.”
Only at sunrise do we manage to fit into the brand new UAZ, which takes us all the way to Tukums. I leave the girls at the railway station and go in search of the prosecutor's office. Prosecutor Janis Salons, a man with kind eyes, carefully examines my papers. He clearly likes them. He picks up a big thick book that looks like a barn and starts leafing through it. Accidents are recorded in this book. The entry occupies one line: car make, license plate number, owner’s full name. The required entry is found when ten sheets of scribbled paper are flipped back. It seems like accidents happen here almost every hour.

I see the car is registered to Maryana. The case was led by investigator Erika Kazimirovna Ashman. The prosecutor picks up the phone and turns the dial. “Erika Kazimirovna? ​​Now a journalist from Moscow will approach you, please introduce him to case number 480.” I ask: “Are you working today, since the holiday is November 7?” “Well, it’s a holiday for you there, in Moscow, but we don’t have any holiday. We are yours
We don’t recognize Soviet holidays.” Erika Kazimirovna initially greets me with hostility. The call from the prosecutor’s office apparently had no effect on her.
“I have no right at all to show you materials from this case, it is not yet closed, and, besides, your colleagues have already written in the newspapers something that did not happen, and then I got punished for allegedly showing them materials . No, no one came here, you were the first, only one called on the phone from MK, I read him some excerpts, and then he mixed everything up. They wrote that Tsoi was not drunk according to the results of an “examination of active brain cells.” , but we don’t have such an examination at all, we have a small town, maybe only in Riga they do such an examination, and I don’t know. They only did a blood test for alcohol, it wasn’t there, and that’s all. Why weren’t they taken to Riga? So no one knew, they just said that the young guy crashed. So I’ll let you look at the case materials, and then you write, and I’ll get it again!”

I feel that now they will say “Goodbye” to me, and I eagerly begin to explain that this is why I am here, to find out everything “first-hand” and to avoid any “inaccuracies.” And that in journalism there are different people, as, in general, in other professions. “And you probably have those too!” The last argument works, and case No. 480 lies on the table in front of me. I scroll, scroll, scroll. Erika Kazimirovna: “This? This is about the initiation of a criminal case against Viktor Robertovich Tsoi. For what? As the culprit of the accident. But here is the resolution to terminate the case due to the death of the accused. Well, yes, if he had not died, then there would have been a trial, and you What do you think, for you he’s a singer, but for us he’s just a criminal. No, well, they probably wouldn’t put him in prison, but they would definitely fine him. What did you want, the damage was done to the car company - the Ikarus was just coming from repairs, and again stopped working for about two months ", and this is money! He didn’t travel, he didn’t carry passengers, the enterprise probably suffered losses of several thousand!"

I'm starting to write down all the most interesting things. A few minutes later I realize that a multi-page volume could take a couple of days of my life. I ask permission to retake some pages. “What are you talking about, I shouldn’t have shown you anything.” Then he gives up: “Okay, just don’t tell anyone, otherwise the case is not closed yet.” I quickly take out my camera and start shooting one page after another. "The driver of the Moskvich - 2141 dark blue (license number Ya6832MN) Viktor Robertovich Tsoi, at the 35th kilometer of the Sloka-Tulsa highway, lost control and drove to the side of the highway, driving along it for 250 meters. Then his car hit the fence post of the bridge over the Teitope River. The impact threw Moskvich into the oncoming lane along which the Ikarus-250 bus (license number 0518VRN, driver Janis Karlovich Fibiks), motor transport enterprise No. 29 in Tukums, was moving. Time of collision - 11 hours 28 minutes. Weather: +28. Visibility - clear."

Erika Kazimirovna explains to me how to find the landlady Birota Luge, from whom Tsoi rented a room: “Are you by car? Write down: Pliencems village, Zeltini’s house. And there are no house numbers there, just tell the taxi driver “Ziltini’s House”, he will find it. Or you “The locals will show you, ask, everyone knows there.” Saying goodbye, I take a photo of the owner of the office. “Why should I, don’t need me!” she suddenly becomes embarrassed.

The girls are waiting at the train station, near which there are several free taxis. Let's meet the driver. "Yanis. Last name? Why do you need it? Ahhh, journalists. From Moscow?! Material about Tsoi?! Melderis is my last name. I know where the accident was. And I took your fans there already. You have a lot of traveling ? Where?". The girls immediately turn on the tape with Tsoi. The driver doesn’t mind and even allows smoking in the cabin. The car rushes in the direction of the village of Plincems. About 20 minutes later we are already entering the village. Janis, leaning out of the window, asks a passerby in Latvian about “Zelini”.

He waves his hand in the direction the car is moving, explaining about the yellow sandstone finish. Hence the name. We're approaching. In the sun the house really shines gold. At the gate there is a mailbox with the inscription "Zeltini". I enter the yard. The door to the house is closed. I walk around the house. Another door. Also closed. The neighbors who are interested in me explain that Birote is at work, at a fish processing factory. I sit down and let's go. At the edge of the village there is a long one-story building. In front of him is a gate with open doors, into which we drive. I enter and go to look for the boss. Having found it, I explain that I need his employee Birote Luga, which is why we actually came from Moscow.

He nods sympathetically and leads me into the workshop directly to Birote’s workplace. She is sorting through fresh fish. “The journalists have come to you from Moscow. You can go home,” says the boss. She quickly and somehow bashfully wipes her hands, takes off her apron, and we go out into the street. Birote categorically refuses to get into the car, assuring that it will come anyway. We are waiting for her at the gate. The house has several rooms. We sit down in the living room. The hostess speaks Russian poorly, and taxi driver Yanis, who volunteered to be a translator, helps us out a lot.

“I recognized Victor through his friend Natalya. She has been coming here every summer for ten years, even with her first husband. And for the last three years with Victor. Sometimes they took Vita’s son Sasha with them. Usually they came for three months - from June to September . How was your vacation? Well, the whole family went to the forest to pick mushrooms. They played badminton. They skateboarded. He also often went fishing, he often took Sashka with him. No, he didn’t bring a lot of fish, he was not a fisherman. He said, he fishes for pleasure. And that you can’t have such a good rest in noisy Moscow, he repeated every time. He loved the sea very much, there it is - behind the house, behind the pine trees - already the shore. Natalya and I often went there, swam. Did I eat what? Yes, nothing special, that Yes, I really loved tomatoes!"

“Yes, I didn’t really communicate with him. Only when he asked what he could get where. I always brought good wine as a gift. But I hardly drank, during the whole evening maybe only a glass or two, and then depending on my mood. That the day before, he didn’t touch the wine at all. But they sat at the table for a while, started talking, and went to bed already late. In the morning, at about five o’clock, he got ready to go fishing, he wanted to take Sashka with him, but he got tired, and he felt sorry for him wake him up. One left... The Muscovite loved his very much, he liked it very much, he only bought it three months ago.” I ask what music he has been listening to lately. “I don’t even know. I don’t understand it, he had something playing on a tape recorder in his room. Sometimes he played something on the guitar and sang. No, I don’t have any photographs of him. Will you? Give it to me? Thank you. And Was he a famous musician?"

How did this happen...

We say goodbye to Birota and go to the scene of the accident. “This is near the Tautopnike farm, there is only one house there,” says Janis. "Fifteen minutes from here, if you drive." Let's go. Finally the highway turns sharply to the left. Just around the bend is a bridge over the Taitopu River. On the bridge there are already homemade posters with Tsoi’s image, all sorts of ribbons and “baubles”. In the center, near the fence, there is a three-liter jar of flowers. There are also flowers all around, right on the asphalt. Thrifty Svetka takes out a bottle of wine. I open it and we take turns taking a sip. I ask Janis to honk the horn. He nods understandingly and presses the horn several times.

Natasha and Zhenya's eyes begin to shine suspiciously. We finish the bottle and I go to a lonely house. The hostess comes out at my voice. This is Antonina Ivanovna Urbane. She says: “I was following this Ikarus, also on a bus. The driver agreed to give me a ride home. He was ahead of us the whole time. He was driving empty, just from repairs. Only for a few seconds he disappeared around the bend. We drove up, and there he was already that's it - the Ikarus is standing with its front wheels in the river, and the passenger car, all mangled, is in the middle of the road. The driver of the Ikarus had not even managed to get out from behind the wheel - he was in shock. Well, I sent my grandson Kolya Zvonnikov, he is coming to stay for the summer, " "and call the police. The first ambulance arrived, then the police. The doctors got that guy out of the car, he was pinned there. It was twenty minutes to twelve."

On the right side of the bridge you can see pieces of concrete knocked out of the fencing by Ikarus and hanging on reinforcement. There are traces of bus wheels in the river. On the other side of the bridge there is also a chipped pillar on the side - the one that Moskvich crashed into. In the middle of the road there is a healthy, crooked scratch about three meters long - crumpled from a terrible blow, it was drawn by the cardan of Tsoev’s car. We get into a taxi. “Where to now?” asks Janis. “It would be nice to find that bus. This is automobile enterprise No. 29. Do you know where?” I say.

“I work there, and this bus is parked in our park; in my opinion, it hasn’t even left the line yet!” We are driving in the middle of a corridor of ship pines. Then lakes begin to appear on the left. It was on one of them that Tsoi cast his fishing rods. In the courtyard of the car park we drive up to that same Ikarus. There is no driver, he went to lunch, and it is not known when he will come. I take a photo of the bus and return to the car. “It would be nice to find Tsoi’s car!” I say. “Why look for it, it’s in our boss’s box, he took it from there!” We're going to the boss.

Sergei Alekseevich Konopiev, having learned about the purpose of the visit, broke into a sly smile: “Wow, I hide it from everyone, I don’t tell anyone, but somehow you found out. You are the first who found me. I put it in my box, and then they found out ! Okay, let's go - I'll show you. No one touched the car. I just took the fishing rods there, here they are in my office, and there were a few fish in the trunk, I threw them out, they'll be ruined anyway. Take a picture of the car? I don't know, that's I need to ask my relatives for permission!” he says and calls Leningrad-Maryana. She is not home. Tsoi's parents, Valentina Vasilievna and Robert Maksimovich, were clearly surprised by a call from Tukums with a request to photograph the car. “The car is registered in Maryana’s name, Victor drove by proxy, it’s up to Maryana to decide, but we can’t decide here.”

The head of automobile enterprise No. 29, Sergei Alekseevich Konopiev, opens the garage in which Victor Tsoi’s broken Moskvich stands. The girls are coming. As auto mechanics say, “the car cannot be restored.” The front of the car looks like an accordion: the hood has folded in half, and the roof has also reared up. The front seats were pressed into the back seat. Inside the salon we notice a strand of long black hair. The receptive Zhenya, seeing them, immediately begins to sob. Nika, knowing about the ban on filming, pushes me with her elbow and says in a conspiratorial whisper: “He’s turned away and isn’t looking - let’s film!” I answer that I can’t do that.

Sergei Alekseevich opens the trunk. The rear of the car is completely intact, the impact was frontal. In the trunk there is a shabby backpack (apparently for fish) and several folded posters from the MK festival in Luzhniki. On them is the announcement of the gala concert "Soundtrack" and in the center is written large - the group "Kino". The car is dark blue (and not white, as some Moscow publications wrote), and the engine is in place. We are leaving the box. Everyone is in a depressed mood

“And here, by the way, is the bus that carried the coffin to Leningrad,” says Sergei Alekseevich, and points to a yellow PAZ-672 with license plate 2115 LTR. “You can take pictures of him, just don’t write his number. Otherwise, fans in Moscow will meet him and break the windows with stones. Why? After all, he brought the coffin. No, I also think that the bus has nothing to do with it, what if? bus driver Vladimir Guzanov, he brought it straight from the Tukumskoe morgue to the Bogoslovskoe cemetery. They took Natasha’s coffin, she was here, then Maryana arrived, and, in my opinion, Aizenshpis also came.
We issued the driver travel allowance for two days. After all, no one wanted to take it, everyone refused. Well, first of all, the road to Leningrad is long, and you can’t drive quickly - there’s a coffin after all. And Volodya “fell asleep” before this while drinking, so they sent him away as punishment." Saying goodbye, Kopiev gives me his business card with a request to send me the material when he gets out. We are driving back to the station. It’s starting to get dark. Driving past the scene of the accident, Janis is already without our requests are given by a long beep.
Please stop at a store and buy cigarettes and candy. The store is full of both, but the stern saleswoman asks me for the buyer’s business card. I leave the store with nothing. Seeing my upset face, Janis asks what’s the matter. I explain that I wanted to buy a couple of boxes of chocolates, but they don’t sell them. “Wait, my friend’s driver is unloading, give me 25 rubles.” I give it, and a minute later he returns with two boxes of chocolates. Finally we arrived at the station. There are 23 rubles and kopecks on the meter. The girls whine that they have very little money left. I take out a twenty-five-ruble note and say that “there is no need for change,” but it would be better if he honks his horn again when he passes the place of Tsoi’s death. He promises

Live sound "The Death of Tsoi: as it really is"

Introduction

This year Viktor Tsoi would have turned 35 years old. The date is round, but I didn’t live to see it. August 15 will soon come, the day on which a new, already eighth year of life without Tsoi will begin. Many KINO fans are still confident that the death of their idol was not accidental. In those days, some media tried to instill in the public the idea that death had been waiting for the musician for a very long time and was simply choosing the right opportunity to attack.

Some movie fans still believe that Tsoi is alive. Vitina’s most devoted fans tried to conduct their own investigations into the incident, which is why so many rumors, myths and legends arose around a simple accident that it was time to publish a thick book dedicated to the death of the artist. Journalist Oleg Belikov brought unique materials dedicated to that disaster to the editorial office of the newspaper “Living Sound,” including an interview with Vitina’s mother Valentina Vasilyevna Tsoi, dated February 1991 and never published before. Since there is no doubt about the reliability of the factual information, we decided to publish the most truthful version of the tragedy. And finally put an end to this story.

Holidays

One of the income sources of Latvian Birta Luge, who worked at a fish processing plant, was her house, nicknamed “Zeltini” by neighbors in the fishing village of Pliencems (near Riga), or “Golden” in Russian.

Birta met Natalya Razlogova a long time ago - even when she was in her first marriage. So when Razlogova arrived in Pliencems one day with a silent, dark-haired guy named Viktor Tsoi, Ms. Luge simply took note of the changes in the personal life of her regular client. Birta learned only later that he was a musician, and a famous one at that.

Valentina Vasilievna Tsoi: “I know what a car accident is, I know that he died. I can’t help but believe Natasha’s story. I am a biologist by training, and therefore that act is an undeniable argument for me. I remember, however, that after the first time I tried to read it, I couldn’t approach him for two months. Actually, you need to be prepared to read papers describing your child’s injuries. That is, I’m ready for the physiological and anatomical details of anyone’s death, but that’s another matter , when this is written about my son! However, there is no escape from this! Life and death - they always stand side by side. I am not going to be specifically interested in the circumstances of his death, from that act I understood that he had a terrible hole in his chest, and he died instantly. But the guys from the Bogoslovskoe cemetery constantly torment me with suggestions that he is not dead. It’s very difficult for a mother.”

Natasha came with Victor and his son Sasha every year for the entire summer - from June to September. The head of the family always brought a bottle of good wine as a gift to the hostess, which they drank immediately after the meeting. According to Birta, Vitya always said that he never relaxes as well anywhere as in “Zeltini”. And it’s not surprising - behind the house, made of yellow sandstone, there was a small row of pine trees, and right behind them the waves of the bay were already visible. And it was unusually quiet.

Victor and Natasha really appreciated the peace that the fishing village radiated. As a family, they loved to pick mushrooms, play badminton, skateboard and, of course, fish. It was hard to believe that Vitya was “one of those hairy ones” who were always yelling something into the microphone on TV. The guy did not correspond too much to popular ideas about rock music - although he brought a guitar and a tape recorder with him, he did not scream songs in a heart-rending voice. Victor often played something, but this happened only in his room and very quietly.

Valentina Vasilyevna Tsoi: “We were walking from the cemetery here, I see signs all around that say “Vitya is alive.” And I said: “Robert, how can you believe that your Vitya is gone?!” And recently the phone rang. I picked up the phone and heard “ Mom!" I, the only thing I could answer, was “Oh, what?!” But it wasn’t Vitka’s voice, apparently they mixed it up. And they hung up. After that, I was “twisted” all evening. And then - even worse. I really love those guys that live on Bogoslovsky. Vitya went through their fate, and my grief is their grief. And they are trying to prove to me that Vitya is alive. They say: “Valentina Vasilievna, you know, there is such a sign that animals bypass places where The dead are buried. You will never see them at the grave." I answer: "The crows flew in with me, they are not afraid of anything. First they sat on an umbrella, and then flew even closer to the grave." And they: “A squirrel also sat on his grave..." And, imagine, these children, who are always there, next to Vitya, also begin to doubt. One boy from Bogoslovsky, Stas told me: “You know, at night there is some kind of glow on the grave, something completely unearthly rises up...” In general, they have faith in Vitina’s supernatural power.”

Sashka, the son of Victor and Maryana Tsoi (the musician’s first wife), loved to go fishing with his father. The “men” usually returned home tired but happy, even though there was usually little fish. Apparently, they simply liked the process itself: first, getting ready for fishing, packing equipment, loading it into the car, then driving along the night road and a long vigil by the river.

Valentina Vasilyevna Tsoi: “There was a moment when I wanted to leave. I had accumulated a large number of notebooks of Vita’s fans with dedication poems. There are a sea of ​​poems, and they are so... murderous! And then, at that time, it was quite easy to leave for him , understand? Then I kept crying, “sitting” on pills... I hesitated, but constantly convinced myself that I had someone to live for: firstly, it was unclear what would happen next with Sasha, since Maryana was starting a new family; secondly , Irina Nikolaevna, Maryanina's mother is a person in need of help. In addition, I have a sister who is somewhat weak - her mother died, her father died, and I was left with her alone. In short, I decided that I have for whom to live! I have to live! I even have to live! After all, Robert needs me, and his son Lena...

Does Robert have a son?

Yes, Lenya, a very good boy. Robert left us, married someone else, and then came back again. Now his son is already 17 years old, but until he was 14, the guy didn’t even know that he had a brother, Vitya. His mother immediately gave the child her last name - Kuznetsov, and did not allow Robert to see him. The only thing Lenya knew was that his father’s last name was Tsoi. But at the end of the conference, she allowed Robert to call Lena, and they began to communicate - they met, went fishing, and immediately everything worked out. The boy was always drawn to us, he understood Vitka. Now Lenya is taking our last name, he decided so himself. You see, he also needs to live, and we must help him."

Tragedy

At the beginning of twelve in the morning on August 15, the sun was already starting to get hot, +24. Vitya was returning home from a night fishing trip. This time Sashka did not go with him, because he fell asleep in the evening without waiting for his father. The straight line of asphalt on the Sloka-Tulsa highway between two rows of ship's pines flew under the wheels of Tsoi's car at a speed of 150 km/h. In the trunk were a couple of fishing rods and a catch - several fish. An Ikarus - 250 with license plate 0518 BPH was driving towards him, driven by Janis Karlovich Fibiks. He was transporting an empty bus from repair to his native motor depot No. 29. A lonely one-story house, nicknamed “Teitopnik” in the area, was ahead of the path, both the first and the second.

The owner of Teitopnik, Antonina Urbane, was traveling behind Ikarus on another bus. The Ikarus driving ahead was constantly in her field of vision and only disappeared from sight for a minute - when turning around the house. When Urbane drove up to the house, she saw that the Ikarus was already parked in a roadside ditch, its front wheels having driven off the bridge into a small river. His driver was still in the cab. And in the middle of the road there was a Moskvich with a crumpled hood, which had turned across the highway due to a strong impact. The car's dashboard slid into the front row of seats, pinning the driver to the seat. And the roof of the car, deformed, pinched his head. The crumpled driveshaft left a deep scratch about a meter long on the highway.

The roads in Tukums are not the same as in Russia. They are well paved, so high speeds are not uncommon there. Hence the frequent accidents. For local residents, numerous incidents have become commonplace. And for the investigator of the Tukums Department of Internal Affairs, Erika Ashmane, who was in charge of case No. 480 about the accident on the 35th km of the Sloka-Tulsa highway, the accident that happened was not something out of the ordinary. In order to record this case, only one paragraph of official paper was needed in the ovedesh documentation. And over the course of a year, this department of internal affairs accumulates dozens of pages with similar records. Antonina Urbane sent her grandson to call an ambulance. The clock showed 11 hours 40 minutes. The ambulance doctor, who arrived at the scene of the accident before the traffic cops, confirmed the death of Viktor Robertovich Tsoi. Somewhere in the archives of the Tukumsky Department of Internal Affairs there is still a petition to initiate a criminal case against citizen V.R. Tsoi as the culprit of the accident. The case was dropped "due to the death of the accused"

Whether Tsoi fell asleep at the wheel or was lost in thought - no one will know. But it is definitely established that the Moskvich crashed into a bridge fence post, and it was after this that the car was thrown into the oncoming lane under the wheels of the Ikarus. And before that, the car drove about 250 meters along the side of the road.

Did Vitya doze off? Did you move out thinking? Sudden cardiac arrest? Loss of consciousness?

Valentina Vasilievna Tsoi: “Once Yura Kasparyan told me: “Vitya was a great magician, he controlled thousands of people with the help of the power that he possessed. I can't understand how he managed it. He must have been a very strong character...” And I remembered how one day Vitka came home, and I told him: “Listen, you’re so ordinary, why are people going crazy about you?” He is silent in response. “You Tell me, how are you doing?” - “Mom, I feel very, very good.” - “Vit, is it difficult to be like this?” -2Very difficult.”

Funeral

According to the Leningrad program "600 seconds", in the first days after the death of Viktor Tsoi in Leningrad, the number of suicides jumped by 30%. These were mostly young men and girls who had not yet reached 21 years of age.

The bus with the remains of Viktor Tsoi arrived from Tukums to the gates of the Theological Cemetery (in St. Petersburg) at noon. But his fans said goodbye to Vitya in the morning. First - in a rock club on Rubinshteina 13, then - in Kamchatka (in the boiler room where Tsoi worked). There was never a civil funeral service. It was replaced by the construction of an improvisational exhibition on the cemetery wall. There are photographs, drawings, badges, posters, and dedication poems everywhere. In the lattice of the building there are two bowed Russian flags. And a sea of ​​people with mourning ribbons, tape recorders and guitars. Tsoi's music is everywhere. The coffin, upholstered in dark blue material, is lowered into the grave, and a granite slab with the inscription “Tsoi Viktor Robertovich. 1962 - 1990” is installed. Nearby are two large portraits of Tsoi, a wreath with the inscription: “To the singer and citizen Viktor Tsoi. With regret. Korean society.” After farewell at the grave there is a funeral procession along Nevsky Prospekt. In front are portraits of Tsoi, they are carried in their arms. Bowed flags. Columns of people are accompanied by police. Moving slowly, like an honorary escort. The procession occupies one side of Nevsky. Cars driving behind carefully avoid the marchers. On the palace square, under the arches, people begin to chant “Victor is alive!”

That call, on August 15, to the duty station of the Tukumsky regional department, like any similar one, did not bode well. Resident of the Dreimani village A.R. Neimanis excitedly reported that not far from his house at approximately 11:30 a.m. (local time) a dark-colored passenger car crashed into an oncoming Ikarus. There are victims. E.K. Ashmane and senior police inspector of the traffic police department of the Tukums district police department, senior police lieutenant Yanis Elmarovich Peterson, went to the scene of the traffic accident, that is, to the 35th kilometer of the Sloka-Tulsa road. The hot sun literally melted the summer day. It was very stuffy, it was steaming, as if before a thunderstorm. As Erika Kazimirovna recalls, the heels were pressed into the softened asphalt, and it was difficult to breathe. Half an hour later we arrived at the scene of the tragedy.
It was a terrible sight: the Ikarus-250 drifted off the road into the small river Teitupe, beyond the bridge. Okay, there were no passengers. The driver J.K. Fibiks, who works in the Tallinn branch of Latselkhoztehnika, escaped with minor bruises and fear. Before that, he took a tourist group to the airport and was returning back.
The new "Moskvich-2141" Y6832 MM was thrown 18 meters towards the bridge by a powerful blow. Only the rear bumper remained intact. Upon examination, it is noticeable that the impact on the car occurred from left to right, front to back. Apparently, the front bumper of the Ikarus went over the hood of the Moskvich straight into the cabin. The steering wheel is bent on the driver's side, the seats are knocked down, and the front panel is broken. The hood flew off, everything else was crushed. A young black-haired guy was lying next to the car. Without a doubt, he died instantly. According to the documents found in the salon - Viktor Robertovich Tsoi...
The ambulance that had arrived a little earlier was standing on the side of the road. The doctors had no choice but to certify the death and send the corpse for forensic examination. It showed that no alcohol was detected in the deceased’s blood. Death occurred as a result of an accident from multiple injuries to the body.
The only eyewitness, Neimanis, explained that he only saw a car rushing along the road at high speed and heard the sound of an impact. It was not possible to determine the exact speed of the Moskvich, but undoubtedly it was no less than 100 kilometers per hour. This was partly evidenced by the position of the cars after the collision and the Moskvich engine flying far to the side. To
threw the engine so far - I have never seen Ashmane in my practice. The impact left potholes and skid marks on the asphalt, from which it was easy to determine the location of the collision. This means that it was easy to imagine the process of collision. All parameters and data were immediately entered into the protocol, and a scheme for the initial inspection of the scene of the incident was drawn up. In the event of further initiation of a criminal case, as is known, it is taken as a basis. In the Moskvich they found three fishing rods, other fishing equipment, a tape recorder, speakers, tools, a spare tire, documents, money and two small fish...

Not far away, the forest rustled, birds called to each other, and water gurgled. Having drawn up a report, the investigator left, and Peterson remained to wait for the truck crane. Several drivers passing by stopped here, smoked, and discussed what had happened. The Sloka-Tulsa road is calm, forested, cars pass occasionally. At the turn there is a wooden house, a little further on there is another one, most likely built before the war. The place is beautiful, just a stone's throw from the sea. In recent years, Tsoi came here on vacation and rented a dacha in the village of Plienciems.
“In my subjective opinion,” says E.K. Ashmane, “Tsoi dozed off at the wheel. The weather helped. He was returning from a forest lake, where he had been fishing since six o’clock in the morning. This is 14 kilometers from the collision site. I was driving at high speed. And around the bend, a bus drove out at a speed of 60-70 kilometers per hour, which he had not even noticed.
The road from Tukums to the accident site is not that close. It meanders through the forest, around farmsteads. We didn’t notice how, around the next turn, this bridge over Teitupe emerged from the hill down. We stopped. On the bridge there are fresh flowers, inscriptions, an open pack of cigarettes, matches, tied handkerchiefs, a woman's glove, a scarf, an empty bottle, a glass, photographs of Victor, more flowers... Scratches and potholes are still visible on the asphalt, sand dug up by the bus on the side of the road. The tragedy happened here. J. E. Peterson again shows how the cars collided. He remembers that the left traverse of the bus was damaged. So, not head-on.
To leave fewer questions, we will study three versions: murder, suicide and accident. To what extent this will work out according to the logic of the existing facts. Because the investigator did not initiate a criminal case - with the consent of the prosecutor - "due to the lack of corpus delicti in the actions of the drivers." And, therefore, forensic, investigative and other examinations were not carried out. Version one is murder. I don’t think Tsoi had mortal enemies. And even if, for example, they were found, then the method and place chosen were not the best. A house standing at a bend and trees in full bloom behind it obscure drivers driving towards each other. Almost the driver of the Ikarus could not see the Moskvich rapidly approaching the turn. Even if someone, let’s agree, warned him in advance, then rush towards the unknown?.. A normal person would not do that. On the contrary, Phibix tried to avoid the collision, risking ramming the bridge and trees, not without endangering his life.
Further. Tsoi was fishing alone on Lake, at least there are no other facts. Consequently, no one could have influenced him in the form of poison, drugs, etc., which is confirmed by forensic blood testing.
Is suicide possible? I would answer this question in the negative. The creative rise of Viktor Tsoi, specific plans for the future - the preparation of a new album, the main role in a feature film, tours in South Korea and Japan - reject this version. He was 28 years old - he had just begun to live after getting out of the coal pit. The suicide version is not confirmed for the reason that he hardly saw the bus approaching the turn. And finally, I do not think that Tsoi deliberately endangered the passengers of the Ikarus. He was honest.
Both of the above versions, of course, leave some tiny percentage of probability. But still, in my opinion, the third version is the most acceptable - the version of investigator E.K. Ashmane: he fell asleep at the wheel, Of course, not at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour (I would like to see a driver who is able to sleep at such a speed). There is a straight, flat road leading to the Dreimani farm. You can relax, the path is familiar, from the lake to the cottage in Plienciems it’s about a twenty-minute drive. The speed limit on this road is 90 kilometers per hour. Before the turn, about 100 meters away, there is a road sign “Dangerous Turn”. It is clear that the driver is obliged to slow down here, which Tsoi did not do and which again indicates a loss of orientation. The tread mark from the right wheel of the Moskvich is marked on the right side of the road 21 meters before the bridge, from the “pocket” of the bus stop. Curvilinear. 11.5 meters after the bridge, the track abruptly leaves the side of the road onto the asphalt part of the road towards the point of collision. No signs of braking were found. In addition, let us remember that the new front-wheel drive Moskvich has a very sensitive steering system. One wrong move at speed is enough (rearranging a tape cassette, for example) and... that’s it. The speedometer of the Moskvich Y6832 MM stopped at 3400 kilometers. As a driver, Tsoi had category B, that is, the right to drive a passenger car. The Ikarus driver Fibix is ​​an experienced, experienced professional, has all categories, and works in intercity transportation. For his part, he did everything possible to avoid the blow. So it was an accident.
Many people are probably interested in the fate of V. Tsoi’s car. The first week he was located near the building of the Tukumsky District Department of Internal Affairs and attracted a large number of spectators - fans of the singer, or even just onlookers. The fans were ready to tear Moskvich apart piece by piece. Then Tukums Motor Transport Enterprise No. 29 took him under its roof - at the request of his relatives, before insurance was issued. But young people continued to come here too - to look, to take something as a souvenir. The director of the enterprise, S.A. Konopiev, voluntarily played the role of a guide, having previously contacted Tsoi’s wife Marianna Igorevna by telephone. One can imagine the mental anguish this brought her. At first we also had the desire to photograph the car. We called Marianna Igorevna Tsoi, and this is what she answered:
- You know how tired I am of everything! Better do without it... I don't want you to take pictures
for example, his friend, he would answer the same.
I remember the episode in the underground passage near the Rizhsky railway station. A young guy sat on the ground and with a smug smile played Tsoi’s songs out of tune on his guitar. In front of him lay an open case for small coins. Let's not do this: openly lie and beg poorly, speculate on a well-known name. The memory of Viktor Tsoi deserves more.

Viktor Tsoi is a legend of Russian rock, an incredibly talented musician, the founder and leader of the Kino group, whose work is still admired by millions of fans to this day.

Childhood

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was born on June 21, 1962. The singer has eastern roots - his father, Robert Maksimovich, is Korean by birth. Victor’s father was an engineer, his mother, a native of St. Petersburg, Valentina Vasilievna, was a physical education teacher at school.

Since childhood, little Vitya was drawn to the world of art - at first the boy became interested in drawing, then his parents sent him to art school. After going there for three years, Victor stopped visiting her.

Viktor Tsoi in childhood

After graduating from ninth grade, the young man decided to continue his artistic education. Then Tsoi entered the Leningrad Art School to become a graphic designer. However, the love for drawing quickly cooled, giving way to music, and the guy stopped visiting couples. In his second year he was expelled for poor academic performance.

After his expulsion, Victor worked for a short time at the factory, and then entered a vocational lyceum to specialize in wood carving.

In his youth, Victor was a fan of the works of Mikhail Boyarsky and Vladimir Vysotsky. Then Tsoi began to imitate Bruce Lee, under whose influence Victor became interested in martial arts.

Music career

In the summer of 1981, a new group “Garin and Hyperbolids” was formed, which included Viktor Tsoi, Alexey “Ryba” Rybinsky and Oleg “Bazis” Valinsky. That same fall, the group became a member of the Leningrad Rock Club. Soon Valinsky was drafted into the army, and the remaining members of the group decided to promote themselves on the musical Olympus - they changed the name of the group to “Kino” and began recording their debut album.

The first disc was recorded under the direction of the famous Boris Grebenshchikov at the music studio of Andrei Toropillo. Musicians from the group “Aquarium” helped the newly formed group record the album.

The album, released in 1982, was called "45". The number 45 represents the total length of the songs on the album. After the release of the album, the group begins to win its first fans; musicians are increasingly invited to apartment parties in Moscow and Leningrad.

In the same year, the group recorded two new songs, “The Last Hero” and “Spring,” but both compositions were rejected and Victor took them for himself. The group has also been giving concerts in the capital for 82 years.

February of the following year was marked by a joint concert of the groups “Aquarium” and “Kino”. The successful performance brought both groups new fans. However, this year the composition of Kino has changed dramatically. Due to a quarrel with Tsoi, Alexey Rybin left the group, and the new lineup spent the entire summer rehearsing with a new guitarist.

The result of the work was the album “46”, which was initially intended as a demo recording of the album “Chief of Kamchatka”, but thanks to Alexey Vishna, the work was perceived as a full-fledged album of the group.

In May 1984, the Kino group presented a new album, “Chief of Kamchatka.” The album was recorded in Andrei Toropillo's studio; Boris Grebenshchikov was again the producer of the album.

The group recorded this album with a new lineup: constant leader Viktor Tsoi, guitarist Yuri Kasparyan, bass guitarist Alexander Titov and drummer Georgy “Gustav” Guryanov. In the same year, the group with an updated lineup became a real sensation for Russian rock, becoming a laureate at the second Leningrad Rock Festival.

The following year, the musicians again made a splash at this festival. Inspired by success, they decide to record their fourth album, entitled “Night”. The group members worked on the album longer than they initially expected, so before the release of “Night”, “Kino” released the magnetic album “This is Not Love” in 1985.

Viktor Tsoi and the Kino group

In November, the composition of the group changed again - Igor Tikhomirov became the bass guitarist, replacing Alexander Titov. After this, the composition of the group did not change until its dissolution.

In the winter of 1986, Andrei Toropillo self-published the long-awaited album “Night”. In the same summer, the group went to Kyiv to film the film “The End of Vacation.” Upon his return, Kino, together with Aquarium and Alisa, gives a concert in the capital. In the same year, the album “Red Wave” was released in the USA, which included recordings by the group “Kino”, “Alice”, “Aquarium” and “Strange Games”.

In the summer of the same year, Tsoi works in a bathhouse. It was necessary to work only for an hour from 22.00 to 23.00, but it was at this time that the musician worked with the group, so Tsoi did not stay long in this position. Later, Victor receives an offer to work as a fireman in the Kamchatka boiler room, which he agrees to.

A new wave of popularity for the group was brought by the release of the album “Blood Type” in 1988. Then the group's fans began to appear far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union. The group performed concerts in Italy, Denmark and France.

The following year, Kino pleased listeners with a new album, “A Star Called the Sun,” which was recorded in a professional studio for the first time in the history of the group.

The group’s success increased every day, the number of fans grew at an incredible speed, the whole world seemed to be captured by “film mania.” However, the tragic events of 1990 broke all the plans of the team.

Filmography

Victor also became famous as a talented actor.

In 1986, the performer played in two films - the documentary “Ya-Kha” by Rashid Nugmanov and the film “The End of the Vacation.” Next year brings fans the documentary “Rock” with the participation of Tsoi. The famous film “Assa” was released in the same year. Victor’s next major work was his role in the dramatic thriller “The Needle,” for which the performer received the title of best actor of 1988.

Personal life

The leader of the Kino group married Marianna Tsoi. Soon after the wedding, in August 1985, the couple had their first child, Alexander. Victor did not live with the mother of his child for long - in 1987, Tsoi left Marianna for Natalya Razlogova. The performer met Natalya on the set, when the girl was an assistant director. A relationship began between them, which led to the destruction of the family and Victor’s move to Moscow. The marriage with Marianne was not officially dissolved.

Victor and Marianna Tsoi with their son Sasha

Tragic death

Victor died at the age of 29. On August 15, 1990, a car accident occurred at noon. As is known from the police chronicle, the singer’s car was moving along the Sloka-Talsi highway at a speed of 130 km/h. The singer, unable to control the controls, flew into oncoming traffic and collided with an Ikarus bus. The people on the bus were not injured, but Victor received serious injuries and died on the spot.

The actor was completely sober and did not drink alcohol. The analysis showed that Tsoi fell asleep at the wheel, possibly from overwork. The news of the death of the legendary musician shocked the whole world. Some fans committed suicide after learning about the terrible death of their idol. Thousands of fans attended the funeral on August 15.

The death of Tsoi is described here. With the events of the last day of life, the cause, date, time and place of death are indicated. Post-mortem, funeral and grave photos are included. Therefore, this information is strictly not recommended for viewing by all people with unstable mental health, as well as persons under 21 years of age.

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi
21/06/1962 - 15/08/1990

Cause of death

The officially recognized cause of Tsoi’s death is considered to be a traumatic brain injury received as a result of a car accident. The car Viktor Tsoi was driving collided with an empty passenger bus. The bus driver was not injured, but Victor received severe injuries from which he died before the ambulance arrived. And although the producer of the KINO group, Yuri Belishkin, was an active supporter of the version of deliberate murder, the official version is still considered an accident.

Death certificate of Tsoi V. To Act No. 76

Blood was taken for testing to determine group affiliation. Court. Honey. Expert Simanovsky A.

Severe combined trauma of the body: open severe craniocerebral injury, fractures of the facial and cerebral skull bones, severe brain contusion with crushing of the frontal lobe, extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage and contusion of the soft tissues of the head, bruised wounds, facial abrasions, fracture of the right humerus, bones of the right hip, both shin bones on the right, both 2 ribs on the right, rupture of the spleen, multiple abrasions of the body, head and incised wounds of the extremities, edema of the lungs and brain.

CONCLUSIONS:

Based on the forensic medical examination of the corpse of Mr. Tsoi V., and taking into account the results of laboratory tests and the circumstances of the death, I come to the following conclusion:

1. During the examination of the corpse of Mr. Tsoi V., the following bodily injuries were discovered - Head bones - comminuted fracture of the bones of the head and facial skull. Severe brain contusion with crushing of the frontal lobes. Extensive hemorrhage under the soft membranes of the head, bruise of the soft tissues of the head, incised wounds, facial abrasions. Chest bones – fractures of both collarbones, 1-2 ribs on the right, extensive abrasions of the chest. Abdominal area - rupture of the spleen, extensive abrasions. Bones of the limbs - fractures of the right humerus, right femur, both bones of the right leg, multiple abrasions, bruised and incised wounds.
2. The death of Mr. Tsoi V. was violent. Date of death of Tsoi V. August 15, 1990, due to combined severe blunt trauma of the body in the form of a comminuted fracture of the bones of the brain and facial skull, severe contusion of the brain with crushing of the frontal lobes, extensive hemorrhage under the soft meninges, fractures of the humerus, femur, and both leg bones on the right, injuries to the chest and abdomen with a ruptured spleen, fractures of both collarbones and 2 ribs.
3. Bodily injuries on the corpse of Mr. Tsoi V. of intravital origin could have occurred immediately before death, in the conditions of a traffic accident when the victim was in the passenger compartment of a car during a collision with a road obstacle, for example, with an oncoming bus. Traumatic brain injury is obtained as a result of the impact-traumatic impact of hard blunt objects, for example, deformed parts of a car, with subsequent compression of the head in the anterior-posterior direction. Fractures of the bones of the right shoulder, right thigh, right shin, keys and ribs on the right, bruised wounds of the body also arose from the impact-traumatic impact of hard blunt objects - protruding parts of the car interior. Multiple abrasions on the front surface of the body caused by sliding / friction / on an uneven surface of blunt objects. The traumatic force was applied from front to back and from right to left.
4. By its nature, the totality of bodily injuries is classified as serious, as life-threatening. There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the injuries sustained and the causes of death...

Date and place of death

Viktor Robertovich died at the age of 29, on August 15, 1990. The time of death was recorded as 12 hours 28 minutes. Place of death: Latvia, Tukums region, Sloka-Talsi highway, thirty-fifth kilometer.

Parting

There was no official civil memorial service or farewell ceremony as such. However, on the cemetery wall of the Theological Cemetery in the city of Leningrad, a spontaneous exhibition of posters, flags, and poems dedicated to the artist was organized. At the insistence of his relatives, Viktor Tsoi was buried in a closed coffin.

Tsoi's funeral. Video.

Watch newsreel footage of the funeral of Viktor Robertovich Tsoi. In the video you can see many people famous throughout the country: Yuri Aizenshpis, Alexander Abdulov, Konstantin Kinchev and other stars. Victor’s wife and child, Marianna and Alexander, are present at the funeral. A huge number of the artist’s fans came to honor the artist’s memory.

Burial place

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was buried at the Bogoslovskoye Cemetery in St. Petersburg (Leningrad).

Death of Tsoi. Details

A large number of photographs and materials included in the publication by Viktor Tsoi and the Kino group. The memorial album is published for the first time.

In addition, we recommend that you read the memoirs written by Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis. The book was published under the title Viktor Tsoi and others. How the stars light up. The name of Yuri Aizenshpis does not need any additional introduction. The opinion of a direct participant in the events, a person who knew and closely communicated with Victor during his life, and who saw Tsoi’s death, is always priceless.

Death of Tsoi. Circumstances

As always in the case of the sudden death of a public person, Tsoi’s death gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories. However, it makes no sense to present them here; we will focus only on the most plausible reconstruction of the events of that day.

The tragedy occurred in the middle of the day in the last month of summer. The weather was warm, the asphalt was dry. Viktor Tsoi was returning home from fishing by car. Usually his little son liked to go fishing with him, but on this day Tsoi was alone. No one can now say what exactly distracted Victor’s attention from the road, but the fact remains: the car driven by Victor Tsoi lost control, did not fit into the turn, and, in the oncoming lane, made a head-on collision with an empty bus moving towards him.

As a result of the accident, the bus driver was not injured, but the passenger car was crushed by a strong impact and the driver was thrown out. Victor died on the spot from his injuries.

From the testimony of Janis Fibikis (the bus driver involved in the accident):

That day marked my twenty wedding anniversary. In the morning I took workers to the airport in Riga. On the way back I wanted to buy flowers and a cake. Then I got the feeling that something was specially keeping me in the city so that I would drive back at exactly that time... I saw how he was walking in his lane and suddenly turned into the middle. I tried to turn away, but it was too late - my speed was under 70, his speed was under 100. We collided 12 meters from the bridge over the river. His car then went somersault and hit the railing. In such situations, some are lucky, some are unlucky. I'm lucky...

It’s good that I didn’t have people, otherwise the bus would have overturned, and there would have been casualties... Tsoi died immediately. The impact caused him to fall out of the car, his right leg getting stuck in the mangled door. He had a deep dent on his forehead... I had never seen Tsoi before or heard his songs, so I didn’t recognize him when we collided.