When he was 6, his mother died of leukemia. He was then placed under the care of his alcohol-addicted father, who beat him for even the slightest offense. The ordeal lasted 3 years. It was then that he visited his grandparents without his parent’s permission, and the punishment for this was so severe that he was hospitalized for 4 months.
He owed his passion for music to his grandfather. He later formed the band Universe
After hospitalization, Breguła moved in with his grandparents, who took proper care of him. He could finally develop his greatest passion, music. It was in his grandfather, who taught him German hits, that he found the greatest support and a companion for his first performances in front of an audience. – He taught me a lot of German songs, and since I’m from Silesia, they were perfect material for Wednesday performances at the Pensioners’ Club in Chorzów. This is how Miruś Breguła, 9 years old, became a child prodigy of Chorzów singing German hits – . The breakthrough came in 1981, when he founded Universe together with Henryk Czich, whom he met at the Song Studio in Katowice. The name referred to one of the most popular songs, “Across the Universe”, by a band of which he was a big fan. They made their debut with the ballad “Mr. Lennon”, taking 2nd place during the 20th National Polish Song Festival in Opole. Despite their success, the lack of record company support caused them to withdraw from the industry for some time.
In the early 1990s, the band returned to the game, releasing their first album “The Best Of”. It included all of them, including: the iconic “Crying through Silence”. Later, they won the premiere competition and started conquering the charts. Over the next decade, their discography increased by 10 albums, but despite their attempts, they did not break into the mainstream world. Then Breguła decided to try his hand at being a soloist. However, his career development was hampered by alcohol addiction.
After breaking up with his wife, he returned to addiction. His story ended tragically
Breguła has been struggling with addiction since he was 20. He attended AA meetings from time to time. Finally, at the urging of his wife Lidia, with whom he had two sons, he decided to undergo therapy. – Thanks to her, I started healing. It was when I raised my hand to Lidka for the first time. The first and the last. Then it dawned on me that something was wrong. And I immediately went to treatment. When the hand hung in the air, I realized that this moment had already come – he said. He broke his abstinence after 9 years when his wife demanded a divorce. It was a blow he couldn’t bear sober. “I can’t fathom that our marriage fell apart when I stopped drinking,” he said.
Then he stopped creating and did not hide the fact that his situation was really dramatic. – I haven’t written anything for 1.5 years. For 3 years I don’t remember a day when I didn’t drink. I’m at rock bottom, he admitted. Over time, he also gave concerts less and less often. He claimed that he had no motivation to go on stage because fans only wanted him to sing hits from years ago. He played his last concert on October 28, 2007, during the Morning Guardians Festival in Chorzów. 5 days later he committed suicide. He was 43 years old at the time of his death. A touching farewell letter was found nearby.
Sorry – that’s the stupidest word I can write. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to live like this…
If you are struggling with addiction or want to find out how you can help a loved one, you can contact the specialists on duty at these numbers:
- National Addiction Helpline (daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.): 800-199-990
- Telephone Trust for behavioral addictions (daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 800-889-880
- Orange line for parents of children drinking alcohol (Monday to Friday, 2-8 p.m.): 801-140-068
- National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence Blue Line (24 hours a day): 800-120-002
More information can be found on the following pages.
If you are experiencing difficulties and are thinking about taking your own life or want to help someone at risk of suicide, remember that you can use the free help numbers:
- Support Center for Adults in Mental Crisis: 800-70-2222
- Helpline for Children and Youth: 116 111
- Emotional support phone number for adults: 116 123
Below you will find more information on how to help yourself or others, as well as contacts to organizations helping people in crisis and their loved ones. If suicidal thoughts or a suicide attempt are life-threatening, for immediate crisis intervention, call the police on 112 or go to the emergency department of your local psychiatric hospital.
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.
