Serbian Music Scene Bids Farewell to Andrija Bajic
Colleagues gathered at Belgrade's MTS Hall to honor the folk music legend. Era Ojdanic gave the eulogy, Lepa Lukic arrived on a leg brace, and the widow, Mala Cana, could barely stand.
- A memorial for Andrija Bajic was held on July 10 in the main hall of Belgrade's MTS Arena, organized by SEMUS.
- The folk music legend died on July 7 in his 89th year, from complications after a stroke.
- Era Ojdanic gave the eulogy, with Beki Bekic, Hasan Dudic, Rade Jorovic and Jovana Tipsin among the mourners.
- Lepa Lukic came to pay her respects despite wearing a leg brace.
On Friday, July 10, 2026, Serbia’s music scene said goodbye to Andrija Bajic. The memorial for the legend of Serbian folk music was held at 2 p.m. in the main hall of Belgrade’s MTS Arena, organized by the Association of Entertainment and Music Artists of Serbia. The hall filled in silence, and then the silence broke into sobs.
Bajic died on July 7, in his 89th year, from complications after a stroke. He left behind decades of work and songs that are still sung today. His colleagues came to bow to him one last time.
Era Ojdanic delivered the eulogy. His words kept catching in his throat. In the front rows sat Beki Bekic, Hasan Dudic, Rade Jorovic and Jovana Tipsin, and many of them did not hide their tears. A scene that is usually loud and cheerful was, this time, simply broken.
Who came to pay their respects?
Lepa Lukic came too. Even though her leg is in a brace, she did not want to miss the farewell to a colleague she had shared the stage with for decades. She walked in slowly, leaning for support, but she was there. That detail caught many in the throat.
The hardest moment belonged to the widow. Svetlana Bajic, better known to the public as Mala Cana, stood in black before a photograph of her husband. Broken by grief, she could barely stay on her feet. Those around her held her up so she would not fall. It was a sight that left even the oldest veterans of the scene without words.
Colleagues spoke about the man, not only the singer. About how gentle he was, how he guarded the tradition of folk song, and how he was always open to younger performers. Folk music lost one of its greatest names, and it was felt in every corner of the hall.
What does Andrija Bajic leave behind?
He leaves the songs. He leaves a sound that was, for decades, part of every celebration and every gathering. He leaves a generation of singers who learned on his melodies how to sing with the heart, not just the voice.
He also leaves the image from this memorial. A full hall, people who spent years building the domestic scene, all in one place to see off a man who carried folk song like a banner. At a time when the scene is most often mentioned for its feuds and scandals, this farewell showed its other face.
The hall slowly emptied, but the sadness stayed. Mala Cana was led out carefully, step by step. Colleagues embraced at the exit, many of them without a word.
Do you think Serbia’s music scene does enough to keep the memory of its folk legends alive?
