How can a woman become widely famous in Russia? She can become a model, using the external data gifted by nature, she can demonstrate to the public her outstanding vocal abilities, if she has any, she can become an actress and fascinate everyone with her talent for transformation, or she can organize a business and bring it to a multimillion-dollar income level. Or just get married successfully.
The woman to whom this article will be devoted has been “working” as the wife of her famous husband for more than 40 years. Nelly Kobzon was able to become an ideal life partner for the famous artist Joseph Kobzon, who even now, after forty years of marriage, never tires of declaring his love to his dear wife. How did she manage to create such a strong family? What women's secrets does Nelly Kobzon use in her relationship with her husband? The biography described in this article will tell you about this and much more. Perhaps we will even reveal the main secret of a happy family life.
Nelly Kobzon: biography
The year of birth of the future wife of the great artist coincided with the difficult post-war period for the country. In December 1950, in the glorious city of Leningrad, a daughter was born into the family of a former participant in the Second World War, who was named Nelly. At that time, birth certificates could only include names that were on a specially approved list, and Nellie’s name was not on it. Therefore, the girl was recorded as Ninel (which means the reverse reading of the word “Lenin”). Despite this, all her relatives and friends called her and still call her Nellie to this day.
Parents
Nellie's father went through the war, and after it ended he became a workshop worker. When the daughter was three years old, the family moved to a huge, luxurious Soviet apartment. The Drizins did not live in prosperity for long, because three years later the head of the family was arrested and all their property was confiscated. It was not easy for the family; the only thing that saved them was their father’s library, which consisted of rare books. When things got really bad, Nellie’s mother would sell one of the books and save herself and her children from starvation.
School years and choice of profession
At school, the Drizins’ daughter was called “doll” for her attractive appearance and ability to dress well. Having received a certificate of completion of school, Nellie entered the catering technical school. This choice was very deliberate - at that difficult time, cooks could always feed themselves and their families.
During her student years, Nelly Kobzon (then Drizina) fell in love for the first time. The young beauty was even going to tie the knot, but her mother intervened. She categorically did not approve of her daughter’s choice and contributed to the young people breaking up. In her youth, Nelly listened to her mother unquestioningly, led a very modest lifestyle and took relationships with men very seriously.
Childhood and youth
Nelly Drizina, the widow of Joseph Kobzon, was born in the winter of 1950 in Leningrad, into the family of a participant in the Great Patriotic War. According to her zodiac sign, she is Capricorn. She was given an unusual name, unusual for Soviet times. The “permitted” name Ninel was written on the birth certificate, the reverse of “Lenin”. But in the documents she put the name that her parents gave.
Nelly Kobzon
At the end of the war, Nellie's father went to work in a knitting shop. At the age of three, the baby and her family moved to a large three-room apartment. The joy of a blissful existence was short-lived - my father was arrested three years later. The property was confiscated.
The financial hardships that the family faced after the loss of their breadwinner were helped by the library of rare books collected by the father. In difficult moments, Nellie’s mother sold expensive publications and received money for food for the children. This helped out in difficult times.
Nelly Kobzon in her youth
The daughter grew up as a pretty girl, and when it was time to go to school, she showed miracles of attractiveness. She always looked neat and endeared herself to those around her, teachers and peers. At school she was given the nickname Doll.
Having received a matriculation certificate, the girl entered the catering technical school. The choice was obvious: in those days, the profession of a cook made it possible to feed a family. A carefully thought-out plan could provide Nellie with a prosperous life and a chance to help her family.
Nelly Kobzon in her youth
My student years were marked by my first love. But the romance did not take place, and Nelly’s dreams of marriage collapsed. The love story was not allowed to come true by the mother, who did not approve of the girl’s choice. Accustomed to obeying her parents since childhood, young Drizina followed her mother’s lead and left her lover. She preferred to remain humble, so she did not dare to go against her family's orders.
Meeting Kobzon
Nelly and Joseph met in Moscow. A young girl came to the capital to visit her mother’s friend, Lilia Radova. Her husband Emil worked at the Mosconcert as an entertainer at that time and was well acquainted with many stars. The Radovs were going to visit someone they knew and decided to take Nelly with them so that she could meet some Muscovites and make new friends. Among the invited guests there was Kobzon. The beauty of the girl from Leningrad immediately captivated the famous singer. Nellie could not resist Joseph’s charisma and charm. He was thirteen years older than her, attractive, famous, talented - what else was needed for sympathy?
As Nelly Kobzon later admitted (the biography contains such data), marriage with a popular metropolitan singer was at first a simple calculation for her; great love came later.
Fateful acquaintance
In subsequent years, the biography and personal life of Nelly Kobzon were closely connected with the legendary Joseph Kobzon. Their meeting took place in 1971 at a creative party of the famous entertainer Emil Radov. Almost the entire capital's elite gathered at the evening, but, apparently, fate had destined for Nellie to meet Joseph. He was smitten by the pretty stranger and, without hesitation, invited her to take a walk around the capital at night. The beauty not only refused the famous artist, but also shamed him, advising him to choose a more decent time for dating. Joseph Kobzon was taken aback by the girl’s remark, but decided to win her favor at all costs.
Joseph Kobzon and Nelly Drizina in their youth
After he and Nellie went to a play together at Sovremennik, Joseph told his mother about her. When Ida Isaevna met Nelly, she was delighted and began to insist on a speedy wedding. Nellie's mother was also not against marriage with Joseph.
One day, Polina Moiseevna begged the artist for a trip to Sochi to get to know him better. In August 1971, the singer’s concerts took place here, and Nelly and her mother came to visit him. It was in Sochi that Joseph proposed to Nellie. And already in November the newlyweds got married.
Wedding
For some time, the young people met, corresponded and called each other. The moment came when Joseph proposed to his beloved. The young couple celebrated their wedding in Leningrad, after which Nellie immediately moved to her mother-in-law’s house. Joseph and Nelly Kobzon did not live alone at first; besides them, Joseph’s mother Ida Isaevna and his pregnant sister Gelena Moiseevna lived in the apartment. The girl immediately found a common language with her mother-in-law. Nelly Kobzon still speaks warmly about her second mother.
The newlyweds' honeymoon took place in the Baltics. Kobzon's concerts were planned there, so the couple decided to combine business with pleasure.
Returning to Moscow, Nelly got a job at Mosconcert as her husband’s dresser.
The Kobzons lived either in the apartment of Joseph’s mother or in a dedicated room in one of the capital’s hospitals, so there was no talk of procreation until they purchased their own home. This joyful event happened only in 1973.
My family is my treasure
So how many children do Kobzon and Nelly have? There are two children, but we need to sort out the grandchildren. In fact, there are seven of them. However, when son Andrei's first marriage broke up, his first wife had two daughters in his second marriage. Joseph Davydovich, realizing that children should not be separated, began to consider these girls his granddaughters.
Kobzon also considered the grandson of his beloved sister to be his own.
In total, we get 10 grandchildren, three of whom are from the son Andrei, four from the daughter Natalya (married Rappoport). One of Kobzon’s granddaughters, Michelle Rappoport, clearly inherited her grandfather’s talent: she has excellent vocal abilities.
One of Kobzon's grandchildren, who lives in London, is named after him - Joseph.
Joseph Davydovich always emphasized that family relationships are of greatest value to him.
In 2020, the singer passed away. Joseph and Nelly Kobzon lived together for 47 years. The loss of her husband was a great shock for Nelly Mikhailovna. However, despite her 68-year-old age, Nelly Kobzon continues to be the backbone of her family. She still looks great today, and none of the many grandchildren of the Kobzon family is deprived of her attention.
Having children and self-realization
Already in 1974, the first-born son Andrei was born into the Kobzon family. Two years later, Nellie gave her husband a daughter, Natalya.
Nelly Kobzon eventually left her job as a costume designer at the Mosconcert. The biography of the Russian artist’s wife contains information that she successfully graduated from the All-Union Creative Workshop of Pop Art and mastered the profession of a conversational artist. Since then, she has often acted as a presenter at her husband’s concerts. But still, Nellie’s main work was caring for children and family, creating home comfort and preserving the family hearth.
How many years have passed since Nelly Kobzon became Drizina? How long have the spouses been living together? Their marriage has existed since 1971, for more than forty years, and much of the credit goes to the wonderful woman and amazing wife Nelly Kobzon.
Plastic surgery is something that many celebrities resort to who want to look young at any age. Nellie doesn’t need them, she already looks gorgeous at 63 years old. According to her, the main thing is an internal feeling of happiness and harmony with the outside world. It’s hard to argue with this, because Nelly seems to glow from within, she is such a bright and positive person.
Career
The young beauty worked as a cook for only a few months, and by the age of 24, Nellie decided to change her profession. Her new path is the conversational genre. Nelli Mikhailovna successfully completed training in the pop art workshop.
Nelly and Joseph Kobzon
At the beginning of 1971, Nellie met Joseph Davydovich, and this meeting radically changed her whole life. She abandoned her own career and devoted herself entirely to the creative activities of her husband. The woman was a faithful ally and support for Kobzon when he decided to realize himself in politics and business. Until the last days of her beloved husband, Nelly took part in his political life and pop career.
Trials of fate
There were many difficulties in the life of the Kobzon family. One of them was the illness of Joseph Davydovich in the early 2000s. Doctors diagnosed the artist with a cancerous tumor. In 2005, he underwent a complex operation in one of the best clinics in Germany, and in 2009 another one.
It is known that less than five days after the operation in 2009, Joseph Davydovich was already standing on stage in Jurmala and singing live. Such strength of spirit is not inherent in everyone.
The guiding star in life for Joseph Kobzon is his wife, Nelly. All the time the artist was in the hospital, she was next to him, supporting and encouraging him in every possible way. It is safe to say that thanks to her love and faith, Joseph Davydovich is still with us.
Personal life
In the personal life of Nelly Drizina (Kobzon), there was only one beloved man to whom she devoted her entire life. She met Joseph Davydovich in Moscow. At the invitation of a close friend, the woman came to the capital, and together they attended an event at the Mosconcert, where Joseph Kobzon performed. After they met, a new page appeared in Nellie’s biography.
A beautiful girl with blond hair smitten the famous singer from the first minutes of their acquaintance. Joseph Kobzon was a very courteous and charming man, and the woman simply could not resist his person.
Photos from the wedding
Initially, the woman did not even think about the upcoming wedding with the artist, since her feelings for the man were not so strong. But already in mid-1971, the lovers got married. After the wedding, the couple had to huddle in a small apartment with the artist’s mother. But six months later they had to live in a very ordinary hospital ward. But the couple was not embarrassed by this fact, since they were on tour almost all the time.
At the beginning, Nellie worked as a costume designer for her husband; a few years later she worked as an entertainer. After the collapse of the USSR, Joseph Davydovich had to go into business to feed his family. Throughout this time, she was involved in the image of her husband and was his personal adviser.
With husband and son Andrey
At the beginning of 1974, Nellie gave birth to a son, whom the couple decided to name Andrei. He received a higher musical education in America, and now he is successfully engaged in the restaurant business.
Nelly and Joseph Kobzon also have a daughter, who at one time worked as the press secretary of the famous fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin.
Nelly Mikhailovna Kobzona devoted her entire biography and personal life to the musical activities of her husband. In the Soviet Union, she helped organize the artist’s concerts and always went on concert tours with him.
Joseph Kobzon
In the early 2000s, Joseph Kobzon decided to engage in political activities, and Nelly supported him in this endeavor. She was always in the shadow of her beloved husband. And Joseph Kobzon himself stated in his numerous interviews that if it were not for his wife’s support, he would not have become such a famous singer. Their love story is more reminiscent of those described in novels.
Third marriage - happy
Joseph Davydovich was married three times (two marriages - with Veronica Kruglova and Lyudmila Gurchenko were unsuccessful). Only with his third wife Nellie did he find family happiness. Nellie devoted herself completely to her husband. She is sure that Joseph is a genius, so it is not difficult for her, a simple person, to serve him all her life.
The wife of Joseph Kobzon is a calling. Nellie is already accustomed to living with a man who has long become a property of society and does not belong to her completely. Joseph Davydovich is a very active person - in addition to his career as an artist, he runs a business and is successfully involved in politics. Every day is like being at the front, and therefore it is extremely important for him to have a reliable rear. His beloved wife provides him with it.
Nelly Mikhailovna today regrets only one thing in her life - that she did not give birth to a third child. Now that the children have grown up and are living their own lives, she really misses the loud children's laughter in the house.
And in general, according to the wife of the great artist, the main purpose of a woman is family. No career can replace a loving and grateful husband or give as much joy and happiness as children can give.
