Russian singer and actress Zhanna Friske has died after a battle with brain cancer. She was 40.
Friske was a member of the Russian girl-group Blestyashchie from the late ’90s, before departing in 2003 to pursue acting and her solo music career. Her film credits include notable roles in Timur Bekmambetov’s horror films Night Watchand Day Watch and she released a string of singles and a self-titled album, which dropped in 2005.
The entertainer had announced he was suffering with late stage brain cancer in January 2014 and it had been reported she was planning to establish a fund to help support those afflicted with cancer. It’s understood she declined to undergo chemotherapy due to the threat the procedure posed to her unborn child; she gave birth to a boy in April of that year.
