Czech Prime Minister expresses condolences over the death of legendary Romani singer

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš expressed his condolences last week over the death of the legendary Romani singer Věra Bílá. "Allow me to express my deep and sincere condolences over the loss of this exceptional person," his condolence letter reads.

The letter is addressed to the ROMEA organization and expresses the PM's deep sympathy over the news of the singer's death. He wrote that Bílá, "thanks to her unforgettable voice, energy and talent, managed to charm crowds and bring people of different backgrounds together."

"She sang her songs with all her heart and won many fans and the interest of the general public and the media both in the Czech Republic and far beyond our borders. Through her artistry, Ms Bílá demonstrated that our country can offer the world diverse, authentic music," the letter reads.

The funeral for Ms Bílá, who passed away on 12 March, was held 23 March in Rokycany, Czech Republic. The service featured several live bands.

The singer was born on 22 May 1954 in Rokycany into the Giňa musical family. At the age of 15 she began to live with her husband, František, and 10 years later they adopted a son.

Bílá began her singing career at family celebrations, weddings and parties, accompanied by her father, Karol Giňa, on cembalom. At the turn of the millenium she was the best-known female singer in the world from the Czech Republic.

She became famous abroad and at home above all for her performances with the Kale band. They put out four albums together.

The debut album, Rom Pop, was released in 1996 and the musicians enjoyed success with it in France especially, but concert organizers in many countries were interested in booking the act. In 2005 she parted ways with the other musicians over disagreements.

Her life was most impacted by the tragic deaths of both her beloved son and husband. The documentary filmmakers David Vondráček and Roman Šantúr describe the dramatic events over two of the last year of her life in their recently released film "The Last Hope of Věra Bílá".