Zhanna Friske's tragic story: "I am no different from millions of other girls"

On the night of June 16, 2015, Zhanna Friske, the brightest and most cheerful singer in Russian show business, died. She sang about summer, sea, love, but in life Jeanne faced a difficult test - brain cancer. And she did not manage to emerge victorious from this struggle …

Childhood, adolescence and early career

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

On July 8, 1974, the future star Zhanna Kopylova was born in Moscow, who will become famous as a member of the "Brilliant" group Zhanna Friske. More precisely, twins were born in the Kopylov family that day, but the boy died during childbirth …

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

Zhanna took her talent and craving for the stage from her father Vladimir Kopylov, an artist, employee of the Central House of Artists, and he, in turn, always supported her daughter in her desire to become an artist. Zhanna grew up among the backstage scenery of the Central House of Arts, admiring adult artists.

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

Zhanna always spoke warmly about her parents Vladimir and Olga. Although they raised their daughter in severity, this only tempered the character of the future celebrity: from the age of four, the girl began to practice rhythmic gymnastics, and from nine - ballet.

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

Later, it was plasticity, grace and the ability to move beautifully that played a decisive role in the fate of Friske: the founder of the Brilliant project, Andrei Grozny, saw Zhanna on the dance floor of a nightclub, met a spectacular girl, and later offered to become the artistic director of his new team. However, Zhanna did not immediately agree: the girl had completely different plans for the future - journalism.

From the personal archive of Natalia Krechetova

After school, Friske tried to enter the Philosophy Faculty of Moscow State University, but was cut off in exams and, in order not to miss a year, entered the Faculty of Cultural Studies at Moscow State University, from where she moved to the Faculty of Journalism. Zhanna never finished her education: she saw on TV the first clip of the "Brilliant" "There, Only There" in 1996 and changed her mind. And then we already know the story …

The era of the "Shiny"

Zhanna was part of the "golden" line-up of the "Brilliant" along with Olya Orlova and Ira Lukyanova. Later, Ksyusha Novikova joined the girls, and the team again becomes a quartet (at the end of 1998, the participant Polina Iodis left the group).

"Brilliant" in 1996: Polina Iodis, Olga Orlova, Irina Lukyanova and Zhanna Friske

Friske's "brilliant" career lasted six years: in 2003, after returning from the island, where the shooting of the reality "The Last Hero-4" took place, Zhanna announced her departure from the group. According to the singer, during her participation in the extreme show, she "zeroed" her own life and simply could not return to the reality of the past. The producers of "Brilliant" agreed to support Friske's solo project, and a close friend of the singer Andrei Gubin gave her the future hit "La-la-la", which was included in the debut album of the singer "Zhanna". In the same period, Timur Bekmambetov's fantasy "Night Watch" was released, where Friske plays the vampire Alice. All this was the beginning of a completely new period in the life and work of Jeanne.

TASS / Elizaveta Klementyeva

In search of harmony, Zhanna Friske traveled to India, discovered Ayurveda and yoga. “I realized that I was no different from millions of other girls. I have two legs, two arms, a heart and blue eyes. I just have a different job. And maybe, if not for her, I would have been much happier, "- Jeanne confessed in the magazine" Caravan of stories ". Then, in October 2009, the updated Zhanna Friske regretted only one thing - the absence of her husband and children. And the dream of family happiness was destined to come true.

An affair with Dmitry Shepelev

Gossipers from the show business crowd did not believe in the sincerity of the relationship between the 37-year-old singer and 29-year-old TV presenter Dmitry Shepelev, calling this novel a PR move. The couple themselves preferred not to comment on any rumors about their relationship, but in January 2012, photographers found Friske and Shepelev in Miami at Jeanne's birthday - they did not hide their love. In July 2012, Friske and Shepelev appeared together on the red carpet of the Moscow Film Festival, and a year later, "competent PR" turned into the birth of a baby: on April 7, 2013, the couple had a son, Platon.

fotoimedia / Valery Lukyanov

fotoimedia / Valery Lukyanov

Disease

That same 2013 became not only the happiest in the life of the young mother of Jeanne, but also fatal: soon after the birth of her son, the singer began to complain of headaches, and on January 20, 2014, a message from the Friske family appeared on the singer's website: Jeanne was diagnosed with glioblastoma - inoperable a brain tumor. A campaign to raise funds for the singer's treatment has started on Channel One

fotoimedia / Dmitry Larin

During the joint action of Channel One and the Rusfond charitable organization, they managed to raise about 68 million rubles - much more than was required to pay for Friske's treatment. The scandal surrounding the unspent and missing money from the accounts pulled a string of litigations between the Friske family, Dmitry Shepelev and Rusfond, accusing each other. The point in this story has not yet been set …

fotoimedia

Jeanne is gone …

The course of treatment was successful: Zhanna went through chemotherapy, acupuncture and physiotherapy in New York and was recovering in Jurmala in the summer, where her friend from the "Brilliant" Olga Orlova visited her. The final remission occurred in China, after which Zhanna returned to Moscow and told reporters that she was ready to communicate in a month. However, in May, Friske's father reported a relapse: Zhanna weakened, lost her appetite, and after taking strong drugs she began to go blind. And less than a month later, Zhanna Friske was gone … Next to Zhanna was her best friend Olya Orlova from the golden composition "Blestok".

Friske vs. Shepelev

The death of Jeanne further disunited her family and her husband Dmitry Shepelev. The widower protected the son of Plato from communicating with the relatives of his deceased wife. For a long time, Friske fought for the right to see the baby, and eventually went to court. Despite the court's decision in favor of the Friske family, Shepelev, according to the singer's parents, continues to hide the boy from them. Both sides regularly appear in the press with mutual accusations. Shepelev and Vladimir Friske blame each other for Zhanna's death, for public relations for her illness, for missing the collected millions, for lies and hypocrisy … Legal proceedings around Zhanna Friske's inheritance and donations continue to this day.

fotoimedia