Over 250 motorcyclists, some coming from Serbia, participated in a motorcycle parade on August 6 in Timișoara, in memory rock legend Nicu Covaci, who passed away last week at the Timișoara County Hospital. 

Nicu Covaci was the leader and founding member of rock band Phoenix, formed in 1962 in Timișoara.

The motorcyclists gathered in the northern part of the city and went through the streets of Timișoara, arriving at the Banatul Philharmonic, where Nicu Covaci's body was laid for those who wished to pay their final respects.

"Timișoara pays its last respects to Nicu Covaci, a great Timișoara native, a man without whom we, the people of Timișoara, and Romanians in general, would not be what we are today. He did so much for Timișoara. He was a great patriot, not just locally, and he taught us to love our city and our country,” said Sorin Stanca, president of the Moto Hells Angels Association, cited by News.ro.

“He loved motorcycles very much. He was not just a singer, or a motorcyclist. He was Nicu Covaci, the man who gave us a name," he added.

Nicu Covaci passed away on August 2 at the age of 77 after being diagnosed with cranial cancer, undergoing surgery, and several rounds of treatment.

His body was placed in the foyer on the first floor of the Banatul Philharmonic, alongside his guitars, in a white coffin inscribed with the lyrics of his songs. Music legends Mircea Baniciu and Ovidiu Lipan Țăndărică also paid their respects at Nicu Covaci's side. The artist's funeral will take place on August 8 in a private ceremony. 

“Nicu Covaci was not just a musician but the heartbeat of Romanian Folk Rock, an untiring dreamer who believed in the power of music and the freedom offered by the motorock movement. Today, we lose not just an artist but a part of the nation's soul,” said the motorcycle club Doomstriker Romania.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Virgil Simonescu)