Anne Veski announced on Sunday that: "My husband Benno Beltšikov left us this morning, after a period of serious illness. Benno would have turned 75 in June. We shared our life together during a loving marriage which lasted over 40 years. I will always be grateful to Benno for what we had in our lives. We were happy people and lived a beautiful life."

"I would like to thank the doctors and medical staff who did their best. Friends will hear about the send of at a suitable time and in the right way. Dear people, please respect my grief and my privacy," Veski added.

Anne and Benno had first met at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where Veski had performed, and married the following year.

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