May 2022
Mihaela Valentina Runceanu (4 May 1955, Buzฤu โ 1 November 1989, Bucharest) was a Romanian pop singer and vocal techniques teacher. She became a successful vocal singer, her voice being highly appreciated in Romania. Many of her songs were hits, and she released two albums, Mihaela Runceanu (1987) and Pentru voi, muguri noi (1989), the latter only one day before she was murdered in her home in Bucharest.
On 1 November 1989, a personal friend of hers, Daniel ลtefฤnescu, visited her and insisted that they watch a videotape he had obtained (at the time, video material circulation was severely restricted by the communist government). ๐๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ถ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ล๐๐ฒ๐ณฤ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ผ๐. He then stole jewelry, electronics, and some other items that were difficult to obtain in Romania at the time, such as meat, imported cigarettes, and gasoline. He used some of the gasoline to set fire to the apartment.
The murderer was discovered by the investigators the next day and subsequently put on trial. In 1991, he was sentenced to 21 years of imprisonment. In 2006 he was released for good behaviour.
Mihaela Runceanu's tomb is located in the Dumbrava Cemetery in her home town, Buzฤu.
Legacy
Her death did not receive a large media coverage due to communist censorship, therefore when she starred in the New Year's Eve Romanian National Television show, few Romanians were aware of her death two months before. Due to the restricted coverage of the ****** in the communist media, many rumors emerged and circulated about the circumstances of her death, including one about the murderer being Nicu Ceauศescu or another member of the Ceauศescu family and another about a young man found drowned in a Bucharest lake with a note confessing Mihaela Runceanu's ******.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, more information about the circumstances of her death was revealed, and details of the murderer's trial appeared in a local Buzฤu newspaper in 1990. Later, Nicolae Peneล wrote two books about Mihaela Runceanu, containing her biography as well as details of ลtefฤnescu's trial published in 1990.
An annual pop music festival is held in Buzฤu. It is named The Mihaela Runceanu music festival in honor of the late pop singer.
In 2004, Electrecord released an 18-song compilation of Mihaela Runceanu hits.
https://youtu.be/dBMice1fL2Y
On 1 November 1989, a personal friend of hers, Daniel ลtefฤnescu, visited her and insisted that they watch a videotape he had obtained (at the time, video material circulation was severely restricted by the communist government). ๐๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ถ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ล๐๐ฒ๐ณฤ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ผ๐. He then stole jewelry, electronics, and some other items that were difficult to obtain in Romania at the time, such as meat, imported cigarettes, and gasoline. He used some of the gasoline to set fire to the apartment.
The murderer was discovered by the investigators the next day and subsequently put on trial. In 1991, he was sentenced to 21 years of imprisonment. In 2006 he was released for good behaviour.
Mihaela Runceanu's tomb is located in the Dumbrava Cemetery in her home town, Buzฤu.
Legacy
Her death did not receive a large media coverage due to communist censorship, therefore when she starred in the New Year's Eve Romanian National Television show, few Romanians were aware of her death two months before. Due to the restricted coverage of the ****** in the communist media, many rumors emerged and circulated about the circumstances of her death, including one about the murderer being Nicu Ceauศescu or another member of the Ceauศescu family and another about a young man found drowned in a Bucharest lake with a note confessing Mihaela Runceanu's ******.
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, more information about the circumstances of her death was revealed, and details of the murderer's trial appeared in a local Buzฤu newspaper in 1990. Later, Nicolae Peneล wrote two books about Mihaela Runceanu, containing her biography as well as details of ลtefฤnescu's trial published in 1990.
An annual pop music festival is held in Buzฤu. It is named The Mihaela Runceanu music festival in honor of the late pop singer.
In 2004, Electrecord released an 18-song compilation of Mihaela Runceanu hits.
https://youtu.be/dBMice1fL2Y
