Celebrated singer Mary Linda has died at the age of 91.
The great singer Mary Linda died in the early hours of Wednesday (22/7), at the age of 91. Although she may have been etched in our memory as part of a duet with Manolis Chiotis, she was in fact a star in her own right, in both popular and art music. With her distinctive playfulness and temperament, she wrote her own chapter in the history of the Greek music scene.
Mary Linda performed more than 1,200 songs and collaborated with major popular-music composers such as Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giannis Papaioannou and Giorgos Mitsakis, as well as great composers including Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis. Her first song of her own was “Irthe o Cheimonas” (“Winter Has Come”), with lyrics and music by Kostas Kaplanis, which she recorded in 1953.
The news of her death was announced in a social media post by Spyros Sigouros.
More specifically, the journalist wrote: “A summer marked by the loss of people dear to us. Mary Linda passed away in the early hours of today, spreading sorrow throughout the artistic world… the great Lady of Greek song, who inspired many younger female singers, is no longer with us… she spent the final years of her life at the Athens Nursing Home. Always dignified and smiling… we will remember her beside Manolis Chiotis… ‘Perasmenes Mou Agapes’, ‘Polles Fores Iliovasilemata’…”
Who was Mary Linda?
Her real name was Maria Dimitropoulou.
She was born in Pyrgos, Ilia, in 1935. From the age of two and a half, she grew up in Kolonos, Athens, where the family moved when her father became seriously ill and had to be hospitalised. At the age of seven, she heard on the radio that every Saturday at the Alkazar cinema theatre, Orestis Laskos was searching for new talent. She persuaded her parents to let her go and, when she finally appeared, she sang before hundreds of spectators and impressed the host, demonstrating her innate musical talent despite never having studied music.
Orestis Laskos himself gave her the stage name Mary Linda on the Alkazar stage. From the following day, she began working and earning a daily wage, while later she started singing in variety shows and popular venues of the time, such as Missouri, Kypselaki and Pefka.
At the age of 11, she went to “Pigalle”, perhaps Athens’ first luxury entertainment venue, to rehearse with the orchestra and conductor. It was there that she first met conductor Manolis Chiotis, marking the beginning of an outstanding shared career. Together, they formed one of the most popular duos of the 1960s. She was also married to him for a decade, and the two appeared together in several Greek films.
After meeting Manolis Chiotis, she began performing popular music. Together, they sang countless hits on theatre stages and in nightclubs, while naturally releasing dozens of records. She travelled and performed throughout Greece, as well as abroad in places with strong Greek communities, such as Egypt and Constantinople. From 1964 to 1967, she worked in the United States with Chiotis, achieving great success with appearances in New York and Chicago. It is also said that she performed at the White House in honour of President Lyndon Johnson.
Among the most unforgettable hits marked by her voice were songs such as “Perasmenes Mou Agapes”, “Iliovasilemata”, “De Thelo Pia na Xanarthis”, “Esy Eisai i Aitia pou Ypofero”, “Tetia Chara de tha ti Deis”, “Laos kai Kolonaki”, “To Teleftaio Potiraki”, “Myrtia”, “Rodostamo”, “An Thymitheis to Oneiro Mou” and “Margarita Margaró”.
She married for a second time, to Alexandros Theocharis, with whom she had a daughter. As she herself stated, he was harsh towards her and abused her. “But I could no longer endure the very bad behaviour and the beatings. I left. I had the strength, however, because I had a golden bracelet on my wrist: my voice,” she said in one of her interviews in 2012.
In 1961, she received First Prize at the 3rd Light Song Festival of the National Radio Foundation, which was held in Athens before the event moved to Thessaloniki, for her performance of Mikis Theodorakis’ song “Apagogi”.
She was also awarded Second Prize at the Athens Song Festival in 1962 for “Athina, Kori t’ Ouranou”, with lyrics by Takis Sotirchos and music by Andreas Hatziapostolou.
Lina Mendoni: Her contribution to Greek music leaves a lasting and life-giving legacy
Upon learning of Mary Linda’s death, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni issued the following statement:
“It was with deep sorrow that I learned of the passing of Mary Linda. One of the most expressive and enduring voices of Greek song has fallen silent. Throughout her long career, Mary Linda established herself from a very early stage as a leading performer, thanks to her great talent, which she never squandered.
From her earliest steps and her collaboration with the great Manolis Chiotis, her natural and distinctive voice helped shape some of our finest popular songs. She had the good fortune to perform works by the most acclaimed composers, contributing decisively to their establishment as reference points in Greek music.
Her interpretive versatility was proof of her immense talent and established her as one of the greatest performers of Greek song, demonstrating that there are no barriers or artificial divisions in quality music, since quality and mass appeal are not incompatible. Her contribution to Greek music leaves a lasting and life-giving legacy, as shown by the enduring strength of her performances and their resonance, even today, with very large audiences. My sincerest condolences to her family and her many friends.”
Mary Linda married three times and had her daughter, Eva, from her second marriage to Alexandros Theocharis. However, the relationship was marked by physical abuse, as she herself revealed years later.
Despite the social prejudices of the time towards divorced women, she decided to leave the violent marriage. Her financial independence enabled her to raise her daughter alone, while her public testimony brought to light a reality that had remained unspoken for decades.
Mary Linda’s career did not end with the break-up of her legendary duet with Chiotis. In later years, she performed with singers from different generations, including Haris Alexiou, Glykeria and Anna Vissi.
In the final years of her life, Mary Linda lived at the Athens Nursing Home, where she died in the early hours of Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
