What really happened between Pugacheva and Derbenev, and why their fruitful cooperation abruptly stopped

She can be treated differently, but. Alla Pugacheva - an undeniably talented singer. А Leonid Derbenev - a brilliant songwriter. The two were once colleagues (and the third "link of success" was a composer Alexander Zatsepinbut about that a little later). Their tandem yielded tangible results, and it was Derbenev who wrote some of the best songs of the national diva. But at some point the fruitful co-operation came to an abrupt halt.

What really happened, and what did Pugacheva and Derbenev long regretted? One thing at a time.

A warm relationship and a fatal mistake

It was Leonid Petrovich who introduced Alla to him Zatsepin. As a result, the trio co-operated closely and issued a great hits! But in addition to business, with Derbenev Pugacheva had a particularly warm relationship - as a daughter with her father. The poet's wife, VeraI was reminiscing:

"Lyonya treated Allochka like his own daughter! She came to visit us, I fed her. In those years, Alla was very simple and unpretentious, despite her success and popularity. She didn't even have a car, so she travelled to our house on public transport. Sometimes she would just eat bread with butter and tea - she was happy with everything...".

Derbenev really had a thing for Pugacheva. paternal feelingsIt was he who broke up her engagement to Orbelian, but immediately made a fatal mistake: he set Pugacheva up with Alexander Stefanovich. Later this will bear fruit: Stefanovitch will take the diva under his control and, by his actions, spoil her relationship with the poet and composer.

Lying for the greater good

But the fatal quarrel between Alla and Leonid occurred on a seemingly solemn and very noble note: in 1978 the singer won the Grand Prix in Sopot with the song "Anything can be kings." (composer - Boris Rychkov, poet - Derbenyov). As a prize, she was awarded a statuette and 20 thousand zlotys! This money had to be divided equally between the performer, the author of the text and the composer. But Alla took the initiative and spent the whole prize on a building fund "International Centre for Child Health". It is worth adding that Rychkov and Derbenyov could not attend the award ceremony in person, because they were not allowed out of the country.

Of course, such a gesture did not arouse their positive emotions... They were affected by the fact that Alla had not informed them of her good intention, although she should have. Moreover, at first she had tricked themand said that the prize money had been stolen from her! Subsequently, she settled with Rychkov, but Leonid Petrovich refused his part: he was offended by Pugacheva's behaviour, and it was not about money at all, but about humanity, about attitude....

"Put an end to a business relationship."

Gradually, the relationship between Pugacheva, Derbenev and Zatsepin. worsenedand by the late '70s, the singer had staged bold cross on their future co-operation: she gave an interview in which she stated that she had decided to "say goodbye to Derbenev and Zatsepin".

"Unfortunately, that's it. I won't be doing any more of their songs..."

This, in fact, is where the history of their co-operation really stopped. Moreover, all subsequent 8 years Alla did not communicate with her once colleagues. And Leonid Petrovich only sparingly mumbled to journalists:

"Pugacheva and I have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Bitter regret at the end of days

The truce only came in 1987When Leonid Petrovich invited the diva to his creative evening. Zatsepin was among the guests, and, in general, the trio managed to forgive each other for past offences. There were tears - but from happiness. Derbenev himself said that he very much regretted the lost years:

"Some ridiculous offence has taken up so much of our time..."

Later, when Derbenev was in hospital and he urgently needed a blood transfusion - Alla helped to get a very rare blood, desired group. Unfortunately, the poet died in 1995. The former co-operation between him and Pugacheva never materialised, but the most important thing is that they were able to forgive each other at the end of days.