Croatian singer Oliver Dragojevic died early Sunday morning in a hospital in his hometown of Split, a city on Croatia's Adriatic coast, at 70. He was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago.

Dragojevic was one of the most popular pop singers in the former Yugoslavia and gained huge following with his romantic hits sung in the specific Dalmatian dialect of Croatian language.

Dragojevic remained popular among former Yugoslav republics even after the country broke up in a war in the 1990s. Media throughout the region have reported his death, describing Dragojevic as a “legendary singer.”

Born in Split in 1947, Dragojevic spent his childhood growing up in the town of Vela Luka on the island of Korcula. Dragojevic enjoyed a career spanning four decades and was considered one of the most iconic music stars in Croatia and in the Croatian diaspora around the world.

He was one of the few Croatian musicians who has performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Olympia in Paris and the Sydney Opera House. Dragojevic’s solo career began in 1974 at the Split Festival, where he won with the song “Ca ce mi Copacabana” (“Who needs Copacabana”).

A year later, composer Zdenko Runjic and Dragojevic, released the song “Galeb i Ja” (“Seagull and Me”) which became a huge hit and made him a legend. He followed it up with a number of other huge hits over the years such as “Cesarica,” “Oprosti Mi, Pape,” “Skalinada,” “Zuto Lisce Ljubavi,” “Nadalina,” and “Piva Klapa Ispod Volta.”

His iconic songs are still enjoyed decades later.

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