Nelly Kobzon is one of the women who managed to carry the warmth of the family hearth and reverent feelings for her husband through the decades. Their marriage with the legendary artist Joseph Kobzon lasted over 45 years and was considered one of the strongest.
Youth Nelly Kobzon
Ninel Mikhailovna Drizina was born on December 13, 1950 in Leningrad. The parents gave the girl a very unusual name - the opposite of "Lenin". She didn't like it at all, so she introduced herself to everyone as Nellie. The future wife of Joseph Kobzon grew up in a complete and happy family. Everything changed in their life when their father was arrested and their mother was forced to work several jobs in order to feed herself and the children.
Nellie studied well at school and stood out among her peers for her striking appearance. For her beauty and charm, she was called the Doll. After graduating from school, the girl went to study at the Leningrad Technical School of Public Catering. The choice of a profession was due to the difficult financial situation. Nelly's mom used to say that food service people will never be hungry.
Fans always circled around young Nellie. There was also a constant gentleman, whom she reciprocated. But my mother did not approve of this young man. She didn't like the fact that he worked as an engineer. She believed that her beautiful daughter would be able to find a more profitable candidate.
Acquaintance with Joseph Kobzon
Acquaintance with Joseph Kobzon happened by chance. Nelly went to her friend in Moscow and came to visit Emil Radov, a famous entertainer. There their first meeting took place. Joseph Davydovich liked the girl very much. Returning home, he told his mother and sister about a new acquaintance. The mother of the people's artist had a great influence on him. She was worried about the fate of her son, who by that time had managed to get married and divorced twice. His first wife was the singer Veronika Kruglova, and the second time he married Lyudmila Gurchenko. Both alliances were unsuccessful. Mom understood that the reason was that her son chose the wrong women for life. He needed a modest and homely wife, not associated with the world of pop or cinema.
Joseph Davydovich's mother demanded to introduce her to a "beautiful Jewish girl". The first meeting made a favorable impression on her and she advised her son not to miss his chance. Nelly left for Leningrad, but Joseph Kobzon often called, invited to visit, but she refused, considering it not entirely decent. After meeting Nelly's mother and several meetings, he proposed to the girl.
The wedding was played in Leningrad. The celebration turned out to be memorable and very funny. It was attended by many artists of the first magnitude who came to the northern capital at the invitation of the famous groom.
Happy family life
At first, the newlyweds did not have their own housing. Kobzon managed to buy a small apartment in Moscow, but his mother and sister lived there with their family. Nelly and Joseph Davydovich found shelter with friends and even lived in a hospital in a Moscow hospital, where they were called by a family friend, the head of one of the departments of this medical institution.
Nelly did not start working in her specialty, but received a second education at the All-Union Workshop of Variety Art. At first, she accompanied her husband on all trips. Later, Joseph Davydovich arranged for her to work as a costume designer at the Mosconcert. Nelly refused to travel only after the birth of her children. The first-born Andrei was born in 1973, in 1975 a daughter, Natalya, was born. Nelly Mikhailovna spent almost all her free time taking care of children, and her famous husband went on tour, performed at concerts. It was very hard to go through the separation. Nelly admits that the fear of losing a loved one constantly forced her to grow, learn new things, strive for perfection.
Life with Joseph Davydovich was not easy. From time to time, the spouses quarreled, but Nellie always tried to extinguish the conflict. Kobzon said in an interview that he learned patience and the ability to find a compromise from his wife. Nelly was worried about the rumors about the love affairs of Joseph Davydovich on the side. But she tried not to take everything that was written in the press for granted. She simply closed her eyes to some of her husband's actions. Nellie has always been distinguished by worldly wisdom and realized that there are no ideal people.
Nelly admitted that once her husband had greatly offended her, comparing her with the bright and active Lyudmila Gurchenko. But she did not show it and decided to prove to everyone that she can become an ideal wife, mother, which she did just fine.
In 2005, Joseph Kobzon was diagnosed with a terrible disease. The doctors gave not very comforting forecasts. But the faithful wife of Nellie remained by her side. Thanks to her efforts and support, the state of the People's Artist returned to normal, it was possible to stop the development of the disease. In 2018, Kobzon's health deteriorated sharply. The oncological disease has progressed.
On August 30, 2018, Nelly Kobzon became a widow. Happy joint years were left behind. Nellie could not come to her senses for a long time, although in public she always behaved very dignified. The death of her husband was a huge loss for her. But the closest ones save from loneliness. Nellie has two wonderful children and seven grandchildren. This amazing woman was able to unite all family members.
