A farewell ceremony for Anatoly “George” Gunitsky, a poet and rock journalist, took place at the St. Petersburg crematorium. Friends, colleagues from the rock club, the Leningrad rock scene, musicians, poets, artists, photographers, and journalists attended the ceremony.

Among those present were Dmitry Shagin, Will Usov, Alexander Semenov, Andrei Burlaka, Anton Belyankin, and Mikhail Novitsky. Yuri Shevchuk, the leader of “DDT,” attended and delivered a heartfelt speech about Gunitsky, whom he described as “a very bold thinker and an authority.”

Although Gunitsky was a co-founder of the band “Aquarium,” a wreath from “DDT” was placed near the coffin. Vsevolod Gakkel, a former member of “Aquarium,” stated that he could not speak on behalf of the band because it no longer exists.

Boris Grebenshchikov, who has been living outside of Russia in recent years, announced Gunitsky’s death on social media, sharing details about the ceremony and reflecting on their friendship. Grebenshchikov recalled their early friendship, starting in elementary school, and praised Gunitsky’s unique poetic talent. He dedicated his “Aerostat” program to Gunitsky’s memory.

Anatoly Gunitsky died after a prolonged illness. In 2015, several musicians, including Boris Grebenshchikov, Yuri Shevchuk, Vyacheslav Butusov, Alexander Vasiliev, and Leonid Fedorov, collaborated on an album of his poems to support him.