One of the greats passes away in Croatia.

Croatian music legend Oliver Dragojevic (70) has passed away.

Dragojevic lost his one-year battle with lung cancer and passed away in hospital in Split at 5 am on Sunday, 29 July.

Born in Vela Luka on the island of Korcula in 1947, Dragojevic enjoyed a career spanning four decades and was considered one of the most iconic musical stars in Croatia and in the Croatian diaspora around the world.

Dragojevic was one of the few Croatian musicians who has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), Olympia (Paris) and the Sydney Opera House. Dragojević’s solo career really began in 1974 at the Split Festival, where he won with the song “Ča će mi Copacabana”.

A year later, composer Zdenko Runjić and Dragojević, released the song “Galeb i Ja” which became a huge hit and made him a household name. He followed it up with a number of other huge hits over the years such as “Cesarica”, “Oprosti Mi, Pape”, “Skalinada”, “Zuto Lisce Ljubavi”, “Nadalina”, and”Piva klapa ispod volta”.

His iconic songs are still enjoyed decades later. He left behind his wife Vesna and sons Dino, Damir and Davor.