Viktor Tsoi, front man for the popular Soviet band Kino, died in a car crash on August 15, 1990. Twenty-five years later, the lasting influence of the man often dubbed Russia's Jim Morrison continues to be felt.
Musician, Songwriter, Cultural Force: Remembering Russia's Viktor Tsoi
Viktor Tsoi was born in Leningrad in June 1962. His family heritage was Korean. He was kicked out of a Soviet art academy at the age of 15. Two years later, in 1979, he began writing songs.
Also in 1982, Tsoi formed the band Kino and the group recorded its first album, 45. The song Elektrichka, about a man stuck on a commuter train going in the wrong direction, was taken as a metaphor for life in the Soviet Union and was promptly banned by the authorities.
Tsoi and Kino quickly became a sensation. In 1983, they debuted their song I Declare My Home (A Nuclear-Free Zone). In 1986, the band released (We Want) Changes! -- an anthem calling on the young generation to become more active and demand political change. The song made Kino's reputation across the Soviet Union.
Tsoi married Marianna Rodovanskaya in 1985. Later that year, their son, Aleksandr, was born. Marianna, who died of cancer in 2005, was Tsoi's heir and controlled the rights to his music after his death.
After his tragic death in August 1990 in a car crash, Tsoi's friends and fans held a tribute concert in Moscow. Earlier that year, Kino had played its largest concert ever -- bringing 62,000 fans to Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
The photo shows a portrait of Tsoi in downtown St. Petersburg. In 2014, United Russia lawmaker Yevgeny Fyodorov caused a sensation by claiming that the CIA wrote Tsoi's songs as part of its effort to destroy the Soviet Union. Tsoi's son has sued Fyodorov for defaming his father.