Serbian Icon Olivera Katarina Dies at 86, Sparks Pension Debate

Serbian actress and singer Olivera Katarina, born in Belgrade in 1940, died on Tuesday at the age of 86, the family announced. President Aleksandar Vučić offered condolences, calling her a “true and charismatic diva” whose voice was known across the region.

Katarina rose to fame with the 1967 Cannes‑awarded film “Also I Met Happy Gypsies” and enjoyed a versatile career in film, theater, and music, performing in multiple languages. In 2013 she was awarded a national pension for distinguished artists after a heated debate within the awarding committee. The pension, worth about 73,114 Serbian dinars a month, has been highlighted in recent discussions about her financial situation during her later years.

The death has prompted renewed public conversation about the pension system for artists, recalling Katarina’s own statements that the benefit was “just to survive.”