Beloved singer Mary Linda dies at 90

The great singer of light folk songs had been living as a guest in an Athens nursing home for the past few years.

Mary Linda left an indelible mark on Greek song and became particularly well-known through her legendary duet with Manolis Chiotis, with whom she also collaborated in cinema, leaving a legacy of great songs.

At the same time, in her long career, she also collaborated with leading creators such as Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis.

The "birth" of Mary Linda

Born in Pyrgos, Ilia, as Maria Dimitropoulou, on November 9, 1935, she became known artistically as Mary Linda.

She started at a young age with the talents of Orestis Laskos, continued in the variety shows and cabarets of the time until she met Manolis Chiotis and they created one of the most popular duets of the 60s.

They were even married for a decade, while appearing together in several Greek films.

In 1961, at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, she won first prize with the song "Apagogi". She first appeared on the discography with the song "Pikro potiri" by Kostas Kaplanis.

Their admirers included Maria Callas, and they had also sung at the White House in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson.

She had a daughter from her second marriage to Alexandros Theocharis, who, as she herself has stated, was cruel to her and abused her.

Her last appearances in nightclubs were: In the 1995-1996 season with Charoula Alexiou at the Nefeli nightclub, in the 2002-2003 season with Glykeria at the Harama nightclub and in the 2011-2012 season with Anna Vissi at the Rex nightclub.

The murder of her mother that marked her

One of the events that marked Mary Linda was the murder of her mother in 1970. 70-year-old Vasiliki Dimitropoulou was found dead in her home in Burnazi, with her death initially considered an accident, but later attributed to the murderous act of robbers.

Her abuse

She herself had spoken about the abuse she had received from her second husband.

"I couldn't stand the very bad behavior and the beating. I left. I had the strength, though, because I had a "gold bracelet" on my hand... my job. I said, "There's no need. Why should I sit and accept this humiliation? You can't get beaten for nothing. We're not animals. He abused me every now and then. I left and raised my child with dignity."

The three marriages

In the same interview, she had spoken about the three marriages she had, saying that "I was lucky to have three very handsome men. I would never go with an ugly one. And I stayed with those three. Since then, I haven't looked at anyone else."