Georgian cultural institutions, industry professionals and officials sent their tributes to an acclaimed film actor, singer, screenwriter, producer and composer, Vakhtang (Buba) Kikabidze, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 84 in Georgia's capital Tbilisi, agenda.ge reports.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sent his condolences to the family and friends of the actor.
I am saddened by the death of the prominent Georgian artist, actor and singer, Buba Kikabidze. For many generations of our country, his name as an actor is associated with many favourite characters that have withstood the test of time and will delight the audience for a long time”, Garibashvili said.
The Culture Ministry paid homage to the long and “diverse” career of the artist who has become “everyone’s favourite singer, actor, director and screenwriter”, expressing “deep sorrow” over his death and offering condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, on behalf of the Parliament, also expressed sorrow for the death of an “outstanding” Georgian artist and the “oldest member of the Parliament”, who has served in the legislative body since 2020, conveying condolences to his family.
Kikabidze joined the Tbilisi Philharmonic in 1959 and became a soloist at the vocal quartet Orera in 1967. By the 1980s, he became an acclaimed singer across the USSR.
In the late 1960s, Kikabidze rose to fame as an actor in the film industry, with his most famous role as Mimino in the eponym 1977 film, a helicopter pilot dreaming of flying to the United States, while also appearing in various Georgian and Russian movies. His last film, Fortune, was directed by the famous Georgian film director Giorgi Danelia in 2000.
A recipient of several titles including People’s Artist of Georgia, Lifetime Achievement Award and Shota Rustaveli State Prize, he was also named as an Honourable Citizen of Tbilisi in 1999 and Honorary Artist of Ukraine.
