Eduard Khil: What you didn't know about the 'Trololo' singer from Russia
Russian artist became famous around the world after a TV performance was uploaded to YouTube in 2009
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Your support makes all the difference.Click on today's Google homepage and you'll be treated to the splendid tones of Russian artist Eduard Khil, known fondly as "Mr Trololo".
In the Doodle, he takes to the stage in his classic brown suit and yellow-gold tie, breaking into his signature "tro-lo-lo-ing" as his eyebrows move to the beat.
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil was born on 4 September 1934 in Smolensk, Russia.
He trained at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory (now called the Rimsky-Kosakow St. Petersburg State Conservatory) and went onto find success as a pop singer. He was awarded the People's Artist of Russia in 1974.
His performance of "I Am Glad Because I Am Finally Returning Back Home" on Russian TV in 1976 was uploaded to YouTube in 2009.
The song was written by Arkady Ostrovsky and originally included lyrics about a cowboy, such as: "I'm riding my stallion on a prairie, so-and-so mustang, and my beloved Mary is a thousand miles away knitting a stocking for me."
Khil ditched those lyrics and swapped them for the "tro-lo-lo"s which made him famous today.
His "tro-lo-lo-ing" vocals became an online hit, and by 2010 he was famous outside his native country. Yet he only discovered he was famous on the internet when he heard his grandson humming the tune.
The catchy tune was featured on shows including The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the original video currently boasts more than 26 million views.
Khil died in hospital in St. Petersburg on 4 June 2012 from complications after a stroke, aged 77.
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