Toma Zdravkovic's Son Skips Sava Centar Tribute

Gordana Zdravkovic, the widow of Toma Zdravkovic, confirmed at a press conference on September 22 that their son will not attend the concert held in his father’s honor. The concert is scheduled for September 30 at Sava Centar, exactly 35 years after Toma’s death.

Seven performers will sing his songs that evening: Ana Bekuta, Slavko Banjac, Bane Mojicevic, Peda Medenica, Darko Lazic, Sloba Radanovic and Sasa Lazarevic Kudra. Surprise guests have also been announced. Alongside Gordana, the press conference featured Slavko Banjac, one of the concert’s performers, and Stefan Tubic, a family friend. Tickets are on sale through eFinity.rs and Tickets.rs. A 30 percent discount with the code TOMA35 is valid until midnight on September 23.

Why won’t the son attend?

Gordana says her son is staying away because he believes people involved in the film about Toma deceived him and exploited his father’s image. He attended the 20th and 25th anniversary commemorations of his father’s death, but after the film he no longer wants to appear at events tied to that team, nor to contact them. According to Gordana, he told her he regretted that they had exploited his father and that he would never have allowed it had he known in time what those people were like.

Gordana adds that her son carries his own emotions and does not want to talk about his father. She says that in Belgrade he was Toma’s son, and in Toronto he was hers, and that he was never simply himself. “I want people to love me for who I am, not because of my dad or my mom,” he told her, according to Gordana.

Their daughter Zaklina, Gordana says, attends the commemorative events when she can. She was there both last year and the year before.

A confession about Mirjana, not Silvana

At the press conference, Gordana revealed a detail she had never spoken about publicly before. “Toma was deeply in love with Silvana’s sister, Mirjana,” she said. Mirjana later married a boxer, while Toma and Silvana remained close friends until the end.

Asked about the song that most reminds her of her husband, Gordana kept it brief: “I loved him most to the song ‘Cekaj me’ (Wait for Me).”

The house in Pecenjevce, slowly nearing completion

The Zdravkovic family home, where Toma and his brother Novica grew up in the village of Pecenjevce near Leskovac, stood in ruins for fifteen years. It is now being slowly restored: the roof has been replaced and the terrace has been concreted. “My wish is for that house to remain, to be Toma’s house,” Gordana says. She adds that the restoration could also be taken over by the city of Leskovac. “Whatever happens, the city of Leskovac could take it over and look after it, we’re halfway there,” she said.

The house was targeted by thieves a few years ago. They made off with cement meant for paving the yard, electrical cables and the tools of the workers carrying out the restoration. They also damaged the entrance gate and the water pump at the well.