Vladimir Vysotsky

Actor and poet Vladimir Vysotsky became an immensely popular singer/songwriter in the former Soviet Union and was eventually silenced and banished by government officials. When he died in 1980, at the age of 42, over one million people attended his funeral. The posthumous release of his poetry, in addition to his musical legacy and acting, endeared him to the masses. Fans still make pilgrimages to his grave to pay respects to the man who was, for his country, what Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen were to America.