Toše Proeski: 19 years since his death on October 16, 2007

On October 16, 2007, a road crash on the Zagreb–Lipovac motorway near Nova Gradiška, Croatia, ended the life of singer Toše Proeski at age 26. The news shocked North Macedonia and the wider region; spontaneous gatherings, closed schools and national mourning followed.

How it happened

The accident occurred in the early morning hours when Proeski, asleep in the front passenger seat, was in a car that struck a truck and then a safety barrier. Proeski died at the scene, the driver suffered minor injuries, and his manager Ljiljana Petrović, who was seated in the rear, escaped without injuries.

His remains were flown home in a helicopter sent by the government, and he was buried the following day in Kruševo with full state honors. Toše Proeski—born Todor Toše Proeski on January 25, 1981, in Prilep and raised in Kruševo—had already become a regional star by his mid-20s.

As a teenager he first gained attention at the Makfest festival and later represented North Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004. Colleagues remember him for his modesty and kindness; as a UNICEF regional ambassador he supported children, and his song "This World" became associated with UNICEF. For his humanitarian work in 2003 he received the "Mother Teresa" award.

Proeski spoke openly in one of his final interviews about the toll of fame: "I want to, but I can't. The machinery, as they say, put me in the drum and that's it. There is no return." Many later read those words as a quiet farewell.

His last concert took place on October 5, 2007, in Skopje, eleven days before the crash. After his death his first English-language album, The Hardest Thing, was released posthumously. Fans continue to commemorate him: in Nova Gradiška a monument by sculptor Slavko Bunić was unveiled in 2021, and every October 16 people light candles and play his songs.

Photo: press material from the event