Childhood and youth
Oleg Zhamsarayevich Yakovlev was born on November 18, 1969 in the Mongolian city of Choibalsan. His father, an 18-year-old military man of Uzbek nationality, was sent there and met Lyudmila, a 40-year-old teacher of Russian language and literature from Buryatia.
Oleg Yakovlev in childhood
A short romance followed, which was not continued. When the military command found out that their subordinate would have a child, he was persuaded to marry, but Lyudmila did not want any further relationship and kicked him out. Oleg never saw his father - his mother was so angry with him that she gave her son his grandfather’s middle name. Because of this, fans often wondered why Oleg had a Buryat patronymic rather than an Uzbek one.
Yakovlev has two older half-sisters (one of them died in 2010).
Oleg’s mother was a Buddhist, but Oleg himself leaned towards Orthodoxy.
When Yakovlev was 5 years old, his family returned to the USSR and settled in the workers’ village of Selenginsk, Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Here the boy entered a music school and began to learn to play the piano. He had little free time: in addition to excellent studies at school and music classes, he managed to engage in athletics (even achieved the title of Candidate of Masters), sang in the school choir and the House of Pioneers, and constantly pleased his mother with certificates and medals.
Oleg Yakovlev set off to conquer Moscow
Soon the family moved to Angarsk, where Oleg graduated from school, and then to Irkutsk. There Yakovlev graduated from the local theater school, receiving a diploma in the specialty “puppet theater actor.” The thirst for the stage prompted Oleg, who hated hiding behind the screen of a puppeteer for the rest of his life, to go to the capital, and he applied to the Shchukin School, the Moscow Art Theater School and GITIS. He was accepted into all three, but Oleg chose the last one. But the teachers of the Irkutsk school claimed that “with such an appearance, he belongs behind a screen.” In the first years of his life in the big city, Yakovlev had to work as a janitor on Staropimenovsky Lane, and after successful training in the workshop of Lyudmila Kasatkina, Yakovlev joined the troupe of the Armen Dzhigarkhanyan Theater, but for some time he did not quit his job as a janitor and combined morning street cleaning with rehearsals. Oleg had a very warm relationship with the theater director - the guy even called Armen Borisovich his “second father.” At the same time, he worked on the radio.
Creative path
In 1990, Oleg played his first film role - however, Yakovlev was entrusted with only a cameo role in the drama by Hussein Erkenov “One Hundred Days Before the Order...”. Oleg’s theater mentor, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, as well as Vladimir Zamansky, Oleg Vasilkov, and Elena Kondulainen also appeared in the film. But for some reason he was not drawn to the theater or the cinema. He dreamed of being an artist of a different kind. In 1996, Oleg’s mother died without knowing that her son would soon become a superstar.
Oleg Yakovlev became the new soloist of the group “Ivanushki”
At the end of 1997, Oleg saw an advertisement in the newspaper looking for a lead singer for the group “Ivanushki International”. While working in the theater, he recorded two songs: “White Rosehip” from the rock opera “Juno and Avos” and “Georgia”. He sent demo recordings to the producer of “Ivanushki” Igor Matvienko and received an invitation to the group.
Soon he appeared in the new video for “Ivanushki” - “Doll”, but only briefly, as a backing vocalist. The main violin in the video was played by the old lineup: Andrey Grigoriev-Apollonov, Kirill Andreev and Igor Sorin, but Oleg Yakovlev also appeared, not yet being an official member of the group. A few months later, the lead singer of the group, Igor Sorin, left the group, and Yakovlev took his place.
Ivanushki Int - Doll: Oleg Yakovlev and Igor Sorin in one video The first months of work in the group were not easy - Oleg experienced all stages of hatred from Sorin’s fans. The new soloist was called a “cheap fake”, booed and racially abused during performances, and once even beaten after a concert. It was especially difficult for Oleg after Sorin died due to his injuries after falling from a window.
Oleg Yakovlev replaced Igor Sorin in the group
The anger of fans subsided a year after Yakovlev began working in the team - calm and fruitful creative work began. Oleg took part in the recording of three albums (released in 1999, 2000 and 2002), starred in more than 15 video clips, and also appeared together with Renata Litvinova in the video for Alla Pugacheva’s song “River Bus” (2001).
Oleg Yakovlev in Alla Pugacheva's video
But Oleg’s acting career was not so successful - the artist has only three roles, which he performed in 2006-2007: as part of his team, the guy appeared in Oleg Gusev’s New Year’s musical film “First Ambulance” and Oleg Fomin’s force majeure comedy “ Election Day”, as well as as himself in the series “Love is not show business” with Svetlana Svetikova in the title role.
In 2012, Yakovlev decided to try himself as a soloist, and by March of the following year he finally left the group. Ukrainian musician Kirill Turichenko took Oleg’s place.
Oleg Yakovlev - Mania After leaving Ivanushki, Yakovlev continued his solo career. From 2013 to 2021, he recorded about 15 songs and released several video clips: “Call me after 3 champagnes”, “Blue sea”, “In rapid fire”, “New Year’s”, “Mania”.
The former soloist of “Ivanushki International” Oleg Yakovlev has died. What did we know about him?
On November 18, 1969, Oleg Zhamsarayevich Yakovlev was born in the Mongolian city of Choibalsan - his parents were in this city on a business trip. But Oleg’s passport lists Ulaanbaatar as his city of birth. The family stayed there to live, and only after Oleg finished first grade did the family return to Russia - first Yakovlev lived with his parents and two sisters in Angarsk, then in Irkutsk.
Yakovlev studied piano at a music school. The boy also sang in the choir at the Palace of Pioneers, and graduated from the Irkutsk Theater School with honors with a degree in puppet theater actor. Then Oleg moved to Moscow, where he studied at the State Institute of Theater Arts named after A.V. Lunacharsky (GITIS, now the Russian Institute of Theater Arts). He studied in the workshop of Lyudmila Kasatkina and graduated from the institute with a degree in drama theater and film actor.
After graduating from the institute, Oleg became an actor in the Armen Dzhigarkhanyan Theater. He has roles in the plays “Cossacks”, “Lev Gurych Sinichkin”, “Twelfth Night”. Yakovlev also worked part-time on the radio and recorded advertisements.
In 1997, he starred in the Ivanushek International video “Doll”, and a year later he became a full member of the group. In an interview with the Infpol portal, Oleg talked about it this way: “Once I saw an advertisement that “Ivanushki” was looking for a new soloist. While working at the Alexei Rybnikov Theater, I recorded the song “White Rosehip” from the rock opera “Juno and Avos” and the famous “Georgia”. I put the cassette with the recording in an envelope and mailed it to the address of the production center. So in 1998 I became the lead singer of the group.”
The first song in the group for him was one of the most popular compositions of the group, “Poplar Pooh.” In 1999, the album “Ivanushek” “I’ll scream about this all night” was released, in the recording of which Oleg already took full part. After this, the records “Wait for Me” (2000), “Oleg, Andrey, Kirill” (2002) were recorded (by the way, this album included such hits as “Beznadega tochka ru”, “Golden Clouds” and “A Drop of Light”) , “10 Years in the Universe” (2005).
In the second half of the 2000s, the group's popularity began to decline, and the team went into the shadows for some time. “Ivanushki” only toured the country with concerts, but there was no talk of recording new tracks and albums. At this time, Yakovlev starred in episodic roles in the films “1st Ambulance” (2006) and “Election Day” (2007).
In 2012, the singer began his solo career. The song “Dance with your eyes closed” was very successful, so Oleg temporarily retired from work in “Ivanushki” to prepare a solo program. And in 2013, he officially left the team altogether. He released videos for the song “Dance with Your Eyes Closed” (2013), as well as for the tracks “Call me after three champagnes” (2013), “Blue Sea” (2014).
In 2013, Oleg said in an interview with Starhit: “You know, I’m probably more worried about Ivanushki than about myself. I'm not afraid at all. I'm confident. I have wonderful material that any artist would envy. I think that there will be no obstacles on my solo creative path. Many of my fans write to me on social networks that I did the right thing, that I left, that I need to think about myself. You need to succeed like Oleg Yakovlev, and not like one of the “Ivanushki” trio. I wish “Ivanushki” all the best. I can also say that TV channels and radio stations treated me very favorably. I thought it would be more difficult. I just come and say that I have a new song. And they answer me: “What good material!” It is very nice. Everything turned out to be much simpler.”
On June 28, 2021, Oleg Yakovlev was hospitalized in serious condition with double pneumonia. On the morning of June 29 at 7:05, the singer died. His girlfriend Alexandra Kutsevol reported this on Instagram.
We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Oleg Yakovlev.
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Personal life of Oleg Yakovlev
Oleg lived in a civil marriage with Alexandra Kutsevol. According to the girl, she decided to win the artist’s heart as a child. Alexandra and Oleg met in St. Petersburg, where the girl studied at the Faculty of Journalism.
Oleg Yakovlev and his common-law wife Alexandra Kutsevol
Subsequently, Kutsevol, who convinced Yakovlev to become a solo artist, became her husband’s manager. She gave him self-confidence, because before, as Oleg himself said, he felt like the smallest of the “Ivanushki”, and now he has become an independent singer, Oleg Yakovlev. “This is one of the greatest achievements in my life,” said Yakovlev.
Oleg Yakovlev and Irina Dubtsova
The couple did not have children, but the artist had a niece Tatyana and two great-nephews - Mark and Garik. In one of the interviews, Oleg said that he has an illegitimate son in St. Petersburg, but the artist refused to discuss this issue in detail. He also did not deny his short romance with singer Irina Dubtsova.
Personal life
In his youth, Oleg had an affair with a little-known actress Elena Grishchenko, but things never came to a wedding.
In 2001, he cohabited with the popular singer Irina Dubtsova, however, this relationship did not have a serious continuation.
Oleg Yakovlev and Alexandra Kutsevol
Yakovlev’s actual wife was journalist Alexandra Kutsevol. Later, the girl left her profession, becoming her husband's producer. There were no children in this union. Oleg loved to play billiards, where Kirill Andreev often played as his partner.
Death
At the end of June 2021, Yakovlev was in intensive care with a diagnosis of “bilateral pneumonia caused by cirrhosis of the liver.”
On the 29th, at 7:05 am, the 47-year-old singer died of sudden cardiac arrest. The death of Oleg Yakovlev came as a complete surprise to his loved ones and fans. 10 days before his death, he published a touching photo on his Instagram in a doctor’s coat, captioning it: “Happy Medical Worker’s Day to all my doctor friends, thanks to whom I am alive and well.” The singer's fans were amazed by this tragic coincidence.
The last song by Oleg Yakovlev, released during his lifetime, “Jeans,” hit the radio exactly two weeks before his death.
Farewell to Oleg took place in the Necropolis at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow, where his ashes were buried.
After the singer’s death, experts estimated his property at 200 million rubles. He had a spacious 4-room apartment in Moscow, which he bought in 2003, real estate in St. Petersburg and Montenegro, and several cars.
Funeral of Oleg Yakovlev
The main contenders for the inheritance were Oleg’s niece Tatyana and his common-law wife. However, the name of Alexandra Kutsevol was not in the will. “There are only two heirs: me and one more person, I won’t say his name,” Tatyana said. In March 2021, his friend, actor Roman Radov, joined the race for Yakovlev’s inheritance. It turns out that they purchased one of Oleg’s apartments together.
Wife and children of Oleg Yakovlev
There is no information on the request “Oleg Yakovlev’s wife and children,” since the singer was not officially married, he had a beloved woman, Alexandra Kutsevol, but they had no children. They lived for each other and enjoyed the present. Oleg’s common-law wife shared that the issue of children was never raised, they were fine together, and the woman didn’t want that. They had fun together, joked, had fun, played games.
Alexandra has only bright and good memories of her beloved.
