The star's passing at the age of 40 from brain cancer was a shock to everyone — just a few years prior, Friske had been publicly battling the illness, and millions of people were concerned for her. Even a decade later, the singer's name continues to be surrounded by rumors, disputes, and unexpected facts about her life. 1. A twin brother she never knew Zhanna Friske was born on July 8, 1974, in Moscow, seven months into the pregnancy, weighing only 1.38 kg and measuring 38 cm. She had a twin brother, but he passed away two days after birth due to a genetic disease. Zhanna herself learned about this only in adulthood. The singer admitted that this loss made her strong — as if she took on the obligation to live for two. At her baptism, the girl was given the name Anna and until the age of 22, she bore her mother's surname — Kopylova. 2. The surname Friske is not from her father, but from her great-grandmother Vladimir Friske, the singer's father, came from a family of Volga Germans. However, upon marriage, he took his wife's surname — Kopylova — to avoid difficulties with employment during Soviet times. Zhanna Friske adopted her historical surname, inherited from her great-grandmother Paulina Wilhelmovna, as a pseudonym when she began her solo career. 3. Her father invested $10,000 in her career In 1996, 22-year-old Zhanna joined the group "Blestyashchie" as a choreographer — she was invited by producer Andrei Grozny. But just a week later, the artist was offered to become a soloist of the group. However, costumes were needed for performances — and the singer's father invested $10,000 in them, which the producers later returned. After a year in the group, Zhanna took the surname Friske. With "Blestyashchie," she recorded five albums — the lineup from those years is still referred to as the "golden" era. 4. One solo album and 20 singles In nearly 15 years of her career, Zhanna Friske released over 20 singles — individual musical pieces. However, she had only one solo album, released in 2005: it was titled "Zhanna." Her first major success was the song "La-la-la" with lyrics by Andrei Gubin, followed by the hit "Somewhere in Summer," with which the singer became a laureate of the "Song of the Year" award. Other well-known compositions include "And on the Sea, White Sand" and "Malinki." 5. A star and the main witch of Russian cinema In addition to her singing career, Zhanna Friske also tried her hand at acting. She appeared in a dozen films, but the main film role of the star's life was the witch Alisa Donnikova in Timur Bekmambetov's "Night Watch" and "Day Watch." Interestingly, in the first film, most scenes featuring her, including explicit ones, were cut. However, in the second part, the director gave Friske's character a more significant role — for this work, the star received the MTV award for "Best Female Role." Later, she played the lead role in Klim Shipenko's psychological drama. 6. Son Platon was the main motivation to fight for life In 2012, Zhanna announced her romance with TV presenter Dmitry Shepelev, and in 2013, she gave birth to her son Platon. Before that, she had tried to get pregnant several times but unsuccessfully. The birth of the child was the greatest joy for the singer. However, even then, doctors informed her of the terrible diagnosis — a brain tumor. Zhanna's response was categorical: she had no doubt about her desire to give birth to this child. Later, Shepelev admitted that their son was her main motivation to continue fighting the illness. 7. Nationwide fundraising When news of Friske's illness became known, a fundraising campaign was organized for treatment abroad — people donated huge sums. This was one of the first cases in Russia where the illness of a public figure elicited such mass sympathy. The singer herself, according to her father, was afraid to turn on the video while communicating with him online until the very end — she did not want him to see how she had changed due to the illness. 8. The last two weeks in a coma On June 15, 2015, Zhanna Friske passed away. The cause of death was glioblastoma — an inoperable brain tumor. The singer's father later revealed that on March 8, she stopped responding to external stimuli, and spent the last two weeks of her life in a coma. The day before her death, according to Vladimir Kopylov, her friend Olga Orlova rushed in and said that Zhanna had opened her eyes and asked something. But when her father ran over, she had already closed them. "It feels like just yesterday she was here, we were communicating, and now she is no longer with us," he confessed ten years later. 9. Posthumous scandal surrounding Shepelev After Friske's death, her civil husband Dmitry Shepelev found himself at the center of scandals and criticism. Many accused him of moving on too quickly and allegedly distancing himself from the singer's parents. Zhanna's father stated in an interview that at first, his daughter loved Shepelev, but "when she gave birth and fell ill, she realized that he was not the one for her." The TV presenter did not comment on these accusations for a long time. Disputes about their relationship and the upbringing of their son Platon continue to this day. 10. Unreleased songs and an unfinished album In the last years of her life, Zhanna Friske was actively working on new material. She recorded several songs for an album that was supposed to be released in 2014, but the illness interfered with those plans. After the singer's death, producers repeatedly announced their intention to release unreleased tracks, but due to legal disputes between the heirs and record companies, the release was postponed. In 2018, there was information that some recordings might be released, but this never happened. Fans still find demo versions online and debate whether to publish these songs or better leave them as the artist's personal legacy.