Iskelmä singer Irmeli Mäkelä has died

Iskelmä singer Irmeli Mäkelä-Liikanen is dead, says Yle. He died after a long illness in Kotka on Sunday, March 15.

Mäkelä was 83 years old when he died. The matter was confirmed to Yle by his spouse Johannes Liikanen.

A native of Kotka Mäkelä-Liikanen recorded dozens of hits between 1958 and 1968. Perhaps he is best known for his songs Too little time, Carried away by the current and You are my best tango friend. During the 60s, he also performed twice as a soloist in the Eurovision Song Contest.

In the 1970s, he focused more on opera and operetta. For example Carmen’s in the title role, he was seen a total of three different times in Kotka and Tampere.

Along with singing, he managed to found a barbershop in Kotka, which he ran for a couple of decades.