She knew from an early age that she wanted to perform on stage and consistently pursued this dream. She started in the church choir, and later was active in the cathedral’s amateur theater. She received professional education from Jacek Ujazdowski at the Gdańsk Song Study of Polish Radio and Television. It was also then that she recorded her first songs on tape.
She was one of the biggest stars of the Polish stage. She has promoted nearly 200 timeless hits
She made her stage debut in 1965 during a concert at the “Rudy Kot” club in Gdańsk and immediately began her career. Soon after, she established cooperation with Biuro Estrada PAGART, thanks to which she also performed abroad, including in in the USA or the USSR. Participation in the third edition of the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, where she presented the song “Sosno”, turned out to be a breakthrough. At the end of the 1970s, she interrupted her career and left for three years on a scholarship to Paris, where she started cooperation with the Soviet cabaret Chez Raspoutine. It was then that she signed a contract with producer Gilbert Chemouny, for whom she recorded several songs, and released an album for Philips.
However, she achieved her greatest success only after returning to her homeland. In 1973, she hosted her own program “Irena Jarocka invites” and began a concert tour, which gathered real crowds. A year later, she debuted on the phonographic market with the album “W Shadow of a Good Tree”, the circulation of which sold out instantly, obtaining the status of a gold record. It was promoted by “These years will not return”, “I am a butterfly” and “I invented you”, which are among the most popular in her artistic output. She has also had fruitful collaborations with with the band Polanie, and .
The artist was battling cancer. The last months of her life were filled with suffering
In late 2011, she began to feel worse, prompting doctors to conduct a series of tests. Diagnosis – glioblastoma, in addition in an advanced stage. It was too late to be saved. – The tumor had already spread to the left hemisphere of the brain and was causing memory changes. But nothing more. (…) After the operation, we learned that it was the worst type of glioblastoma and that it could take a month, three at most – her husband, Michał Sobolewski. The singer was aware of her condition, she knew that she didn’t have much time left, so she tried to spend as much time as possible with her loved ones. “I thought I couldn’t get sick. I didn’t get sick. (…) I believed very much that I would recover, and seeing the positives in life gave me energy, despite the suffering – she said in one of the last interviews before her death. Irena Jarocka passed away on January 21, 2012 in one of Warsaw’s hospitals. The funeral took place 6 days later, and the urn with her ashes was buried in the catacombs in Warsaw’s Powązki Cemetery.
The final resting place of Irena Jarocka Private archive
Her resting place is regularly visited not only by her closest, but also by her most faithful fans. They bring with them photos of her youth, various souvenirs and wreaths, mainly those small in the shape of a heart. Years ago, a shocking practice took place, which was widely reported in the media. The items left behind were notoriously stolen, but thanks to the publicity of the case, the problematic situation was quickly resolved.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
