Have you peeped Google today? It’s all about Eduard Khil, a famous Russian baritone singer.
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The search engine site, which sometimes uses its homepage to honor prominent figures, is highlighting the artist to celebrate him the day after what would have been his 83rd birthday.
Born on September 4, 1934, the vocalist was raised by his mother after his parents separated. When World War II began, his hometown of Smolensk was occupied by the Nazis. While living in the war-torn city, he was able to find work by performing for wounded soldiers at local hospitals.
He later enrolled in college to study voice at Leningrad Conservatory, (now Saint Petersburg Conservatory), where he starred in many operas including “The Marriage of Figaro.”
After graduating, he rose to fame as a pop singer. Pretty soon, he began racking up an array of awards, such as the Lenin Komsomol award and the People’s Artist of Russia, one of the country’s most prestigious honors. He also started touring the world and teaching at schools as a guest instructor.
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Although he faded from the spotlight by the 1980s, he became popular again when a video of him singing "I Am Glad Because I Am Finally Returning Back Home" was uploaded to YouTube in 2009. It became known as the "trololo" song thanks to his unique style and repitition of the phrase "trololo." The track became a hit and appeared on several television programs including "Family Guy" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
According to Google, he didn’t realize he was an internet sensation until he heard his grandson humming the tune.
In 2012, he performed a new version of the song, and it went viral again. Later that same year, Khil died from complications of a stroke. Google is now paying tribute to him with an interactive doodle.
"Today's Doodle is an animation of that viral "Trololo" clip. Khil takes the stage in a drab brown suit and mustard-colored tie and happily breaks into his signature "tro-lo-lo-ing," his expressive eyebrows dancing to the beat," the search engine site wrote.
Check out the doodle archive to see Khil's animated doodle.
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