Television presenter Giorgos Lianos has recounted the moment he learned of the sudden death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis at age 54.
Speaking to the camera of the morning show Happy Day on Monday, September 21, Lianos explained that he was leaving the production offices of the reality talent competition The Voice of Greece when his phone rang with the news.
The popular Greek vocalist passed away on Wednesday, September 9.
Lianos said he had been at the show's production offices discussing upcoming plans and sharing laughs during a phone conversation shortly before departing.
As he stepped outside, a caller urged him to go online immediately to read news reports detailing what had occurred.
The presenter said he found the news unbelievable and struggled to process it, prompting him to pull his car over to the side of the road, step out, and walk.
Lianos is a well known Greek television host, singer, and radio personality who has fronted major entertainment broadcasts, including previous seasons of The Voice of Greece.
Mazonakis was a prominent figure in Greek laiko and pop music for over three decades, recognized for his distinctive vocal style, theatrical stage presence, and regular television appearances.
The Voice Production and Filming Plans
Mazonakis had been scheduled to return to the coaching panel of The Voice of Greece for a third consecutive year.
He was set to join fellow coaches Christos Mastoras, Helena Paparizou, and Panos Mouzourakis for the upcoming season.
Lianos, who is returning for his fourth season as host, noted that the show's environment was very familiar to him and that he had anticipated a fun working environment alongside Mazonakis throughout the new series.
Although production preparation was complete and filming was imminent, shooting for the new season had not officially commenced before Mazonakis died.
Lianos stated that the production team intends to proceed with the series, adding that continuing the show is what Mazonakis would have wanted.
He confirmed that the broadcast will dedicate special tributes to honor the late singer during the upcoming season.
Helena Paparizou gained international fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Greece in 2005, while Christos Mastoras leads the popular pop-rock group Melisses.
Panos Mouzourakis is an established singer-songwriter and actor who has served as a long-standing panelist on the program.
Paola Named to Fill Vacant Coaching Chair
Following the singer's death, station executives began searching for an artist to fill the vacant fourth coaching chair alongside Paparizou, Mastoras, and Mouzourakis.
On September 18, network officials confirmed that Greek singer Paola will take Mazonakis's place on the coaching panel for the new television season.
Paola, a prominent laiko performer in Greece, joins the talent competition's coaching team as production prepares for broadcast.
Tributes to Mazonakis have continued across Greece following his passing, where a young girl whom the artist was scheduled to baptize left a flower at his grave on September 20.
Singer Dimitra Galani publicly commented on Mazonakis's death on September 22, appealing for privacy and urging the public to allow people to mourn without media noise.
Medical experts and legal authorities have also examined circumstances surrounding his passing, with Dr. Anastasia Kotanidou commenting on September 22 regarding medical procedures and associated risks.
Investigations into the events surrounding the artist's death remain ongoing as statements and clinic testimonies are evaluated by authorities.
