Anca Parghel

with great sadness:

Celebrated Romanian jazz singer Anca Parghel dies

By ALISON MUTLER, Associated Press Writer Alison Mutler, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 5, 4:25 am ET

BUCHAREST, Romania – Celebrated Romanian jazz singer Anca Parghel, who fought a highly publicized battle with ovarian cancer, died early Friday, a doctor said. She was 51.

Dorel Sandesc, head of Intensive Therapy at a hospital in Timisoara, said Parghel died hours after she was admitted to the hospital unconscious.

The diminutive singer with flashing dark eyes was one of Romania's best known musicians and was compared to the legendary opera diva Maria Callas.

Born in the poor northeastern region of Moldova in 1957, Parghel began singing when she was 3 and studied at the Iasi Conservatory from the age of 14. She made 16 albums over more than 20 years.

"She was a great talent and more than that she was self-taught because there aren't any jazz schools in Romania," musician Damian Draghici told The Associated Press

"She was an extremely talented singer the way she expressed herself. The impact she had on her audience was amazing."

Parghel began performing professionally in 1984 and two years later released her first album "The Young Dance." Her last album "Zamorena" was released this year.

She appeared at jazz festivals in the United States and across Europe and performed with jazz musicians including Peter Herbolzheimer, Paolo Radoni, Larry Coryell, Charles Loos and Norma Winstone.

Parghel lived in Belgium where she taught jazz and performed. She also taught in Germany.

She fell ill with breast cancer in 1994 but the disease went into remission. Her diagnosis of ovarian cancer in June prompted a national campaign in Romania to raise money for her treatment. She was treated in hospitals in Austria, Serbia and Romania.

Parghel is survived by her two musician sons. Funeral arrangement were not immediately known