Vladan Jovković Rolinac killed while helping friends on E-75
The 65-year-old founder of the ensemble Tiho noći died after a truck's trailer struck him while he tried to help friends with a blocked wheel.
Serbian folk singer and musician Vladan Jovković Rolinac, 65, has died after being struck during a roadside accident on the E-75 highway near Lapovo, authorities and witnesses say. The tragedy has shaken colleagues, family and fans across the region.
He was hit while helping friends with a stuck wheel
According to accounts of the incident, a colleague named Darko stopped on the hard shoulder because a wheel on his car had jammed. He called another friend, Boban, for help. Boban then experienced a tyre blowout while heading to assist, and Vladan drove to the scene to lend a hand.
Vladan took a hammer from his trunk to remove the blocked wheel. At the moment he swung the tool, a heavy goods truck passed on the highway and the load on its trailer caught his arm. The impact threw him onto the carriageway and he suffered severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vladan Jovković Rolinac was born on 23 September 1961. In September 1991 he founded the ensemble Tiho noći (Quiet Nights) in Svilajnac, leading the group for 35 years and performing on national television and at festivals such as Moravski biseri, Zlaten melos and Čaša voda so izvorot. Until about a month ago he held a managerial post at the public utility Stan in Despotovac and was also a noted equestrian sports champion.
The news of his death prompted an outpouring of grief from the entertainment community and his audience, who remembered him for both his music and his readiness to help others.
The funeral is scheduled for Thursday, 12 November, at 14:00 at the City Cemetery in Svilajnac.
Photo: Unsplash
