Family, friends and music industry colleagues gathered at the Church of Panagia Eleousa in Agia Varvara on Friday, August 28, for the funeral of Greek singer Dimitris Kokotas.
Kokotas died at the age of 57 following a long hospitalisation in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgios Gennimatas Hospital, according to the medical announcement of his death.
The body of the popular performer arrived at the church shortly before 11:00 a.m., where those gathered outside greeted the hearse with applause. The formal funeral service commenced at 12:00 p.m. noon.
Inside and outside the church, dozens of floral wreaths were placed in honor of the late singer. At the entrance to the church, organisers placed a donation box for the Elpida Association of Friends of Children with Cancer.
Kokotas's wife, Katerina Kokota, arrived early at the church in a state of severe grief and received mourners as they came to pay their respects.
The singer's sister, Elli Kokota, was also deeply distressed and was supported throughout the morning by her sister Marianna.
Eulogy by Katerina Kokota
During the service, Katerina Kokota delivered an emotional eulogy for her late husband. She said that before leaving home that morning, she had asked him to give her the strength not to collapse, adding that she felt a sense of calm inside the church.
She told the congregation that while his physical body was inside the church, the soul she loved and fell in love with, which was literally and metaphorically half her life, remained with them.
She expressed her gratitude for the child they had together and said she felt blessed among women to have had the good fortune to be by his side and to be happy. She added that she knows he will always be with them to watch over them, before thanking everyone for attending.
Tributes from Friends and Colleagues
A large number of well-known figures from the Greek music and entertainment industry attended the funeral service to honor Kokotas.
Grigoris Bithikotsis spoke to reporters shortly after his arrival, expressing deep sadness over the loss of his close friend. He said it was a very difficult day and admitted that he had not yet fully processed or digested that he was there to say goodbye to Dimitris.
Bithikotsis explained that the two men had been connected since childhood and had shared many experiences together. He said everyone knew their friend Dimitrakis, adding that he was deeply saddened and would always hold on to his memory and smile.
Sandra Voutsa, who shared a close bond with the singer's family, emotionally greeted Kokotas's relatives inside the church. Fellow singer Stelios Dionysiou arrived at the church alone to pay his respects.
Lambros Karelas, a member of the group Ta Paidia apo tin Patra, attended the service in his capacity as president of the Union of Singers of Greece. He said he was there to honor the memory of a very worthy person.
Karelas noted that he was fortunate to have known Kokotas personally. He revealed that just a few days before Kokotas suffered his health crisis and was admitted to hospital, the singer had visited the venue in Moschato where Karelas was performing, and the two had sung together on stage.
Karelas described his shock upon hearing of the emergency, calling the loss immense and noting that a young artist who had left his mark on the country's music scene had passed away.
Industry Colleagues Gather
Singer Haris Varthakouris attended the service alongside his wife Adelina. Haris spoke to journalists outside the church, saying he was at a loss for words to describe how he felt about losing his friend.
Varthakouris said that entering the church knowing that a friend would soon be laid beneath the ground hit very deeply. He said that saying words were redundant was not a figure of speech, because he genuinely lacked words and was not trying to put on a display of emotion.
He added that although he had tried to remain calm, he was unable to do so. While they had not met in person for several years, they had stayed in touch through messages, and he noted that with true friends, even if three years pass, it feels as though you saw them only yesterday.
Varthakouris recalled that they had shared countless trips and moments of laughter over the years, making the loss extraordinarily difficult to bear.
Music composers Phoebus and Giorgos Theofanous arrived together a few minutes later. Other prominent figures in attendance included Nikos Vourliotis, Penelope Anastasopoulou, Nadia Giannakopoulou, Giannis Ploutarchos, and Dionysis Schinas.
Giorgos Lempesis attended with his wife, while Nikos Koklonis and Tryfonas Samaras also came to pay their respects. The Mayor of Agia Varvara and members of the municipal council were also present at the service.
Burial at the Third Cemetery of Athens
Following the conclusion of the church service, mourners left the building one by one to make their way to the Third Cemetery of Athens, where the burial took place.
