Column: Oh… My… J…

Greek music icon Marinella has died at the age of 87. Her family announced that she passed away on Saturday, 28 March 2026, after a long period of fragile health. In September 2024, Marinella suffered a stroke while performing at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. She spent four months in hospital and later continued her rehabilitation at home. For Eurovision fans, Marinella will always hold a unique place in history. She was the very first Greek participant ever at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974, she represented Greece in Brighton with the song “Krassi, Thalassa Ke T’agori Mou.” That appearance marked Greece’s first-ever participation in the contest. Marinella finished in 11th place, but her performance opened the door to a Eurovision journey that would become an important part of Greek music history. Greece’s first Eurovision participant The name Marinella means far more than one Eurovision result. Still, her 1974 appearance remains historic. Every Greek artist who followed her on the Eurovision stage did so after Marinella had taken that first step. Because of that, her place in Eurovision history is secure. She did not just sing Greece’s debut entry. She became part of the foundation of Greece in the contest. A career that shaped Greek music Born as Kyriaki Papadopoulou in Thessaloniki, Marinella grew into one of the best-known voices in Greek music. Kathimerini described her as a singer whose name became linked with some of the biggest recording successes of the 20th century, while Euronews noted that her career stretched across more than six decades and included 66 solo albums. She also worked with major Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Xarhakos and Manos Hadjidakis. Kathimerini also recalled that Marinella never fully embraced the label of “legend.” In earlier interviews, she stressed that singing was about love and direct contact with her audience. That attitude perhaps explains why so many people in Greece felt close to her. She was not only admired for her voice, but also for the emotion and sincerity she brought to the stage. A lasting legacy Marinella dies, but her legacy will remain. For Greece, she was one of the defining voices of modern popular music. For Eurovision, she will always be remembered as the artist who started the Greek story in the contest. Her result in Brighton may not have brought Greece a trophy, yet her role was bigger than that. Marinella was first. That alone makes her unforgettable. source: Kathimerini