Νίκος Πουρπουράκης

[gibson355]

εφυγε κι αυτος....85 ετων και η γυναικα του ζηταει ζητησε βοηθεια μεσο φεισμπουκ για την κηδεια δεν εχουν χρηματα....

[gibson355]

σορρυ....και για ολα τα προηγουμενα σχολια για τον πουρπουρακη αλλα και τον καθε πουρπουρακη.....μελετηστε φταστε σε τετοιο επιπεδο καθιστε πανω στο παλκο να δειτε πως βγαινουν τα λεφτα και μετα μιληστε..!

[aglaiadakis]

Hello, I am sorry I have not been here for a long time. I am very embarrassed. When the recession hit is in 2008 I was not employed. Then Niko was finally retired from his job. He worked a little bit here and there. Many places went out of business. When I finally got a job it was too late. We lost our life insurance, we lost many things and we almost lost the house. I was the only one working. I had to ask for help and help came and I want to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who donated to help me to bury my husband, In our Greek Orthodox religion they do not believe in cremation and I could not do that to him. The money that was collected was used to bury Niko. I had only a casket and we did the trisagio and the service together. I did not buy flowers, I did not ask for police escort, I did it as little money as possible and anything that was donated paid for it and of course I still owe money. He deserved a decent Orthodox funeral and we did the best we could. When Nikos was a young man he made a lot of money. However when he was threatened by his wife's gangster boyfriend, he left her everything. It is better to have nothing rather than to be dead at age 40. When I met Niko I was 29 years old. He was 55. He was single and his life changed. Even though he worked it was not the glamorous era of how the bouzoukia were. The last 40 years was to show off for tourists and restaurants that did not cater to Greek population anymore. You had to have gimmicks and he did the best he could. I was told by many that they only would go to the restaurant to see Niko. They did not care about the food they were eating. He would go to perform and business would grow. When he left Hawaii and finally came back to Los Angeles in 1984 he met me. He wanted a family and I felt he would be a good husband. I was not wrong. When we had our 2nd daughter, he quite playing the bouzouki and began a regular job. In 1989, unfortunately, I almost lost him to an accident that broke his ribs and his pelvis on the left side. He was a week in a coma and then 2 months in the hospital with his leg up. The doctor he had told me he could not do the surgery to fix the broken pelvis. Only one doctor in Los Angeles could do it. Niko could not walk for six months. All the expenses fell on my shoulders. Niko finally could walk and finally after almost two years he started playing bouzouki again. The last 20 years he played 4 nights a week and every penny we made we would pay the bills, buy food, and make sure the children were okay. The only vacation I took with him to Greece was in 2001. The first and last time we did something together. The rest of the time work, work, work, and never being able to get ahead. But it was a good life. Next Niko had some sort of stroke where he could not see. Again another week from work. Next pneumonia and two months he did not work and was so skinny you could see his bones. The doctor kept him in a coma. This was 2005. And then in 2010 he was told he could not work anymore, he was too old for the place. I wanted him to quit gracefully, not to be treated in that manner but that is life. He then had a heart attack and they put in a pace maker. In 2014 he was fine, feeling well and then all of a sudden, he could not walk. His diabetes caused neuropathy. When he went to the hospital, they told us he had lung problems. Of course he smoked too much.

I don't write this to upset you, I write this so that many cruel people can understand why we needed help to give him a proper funeral. He smiled and he fought until the very end. The children came on Good Friday of Easter to say good bye because he was not responding.

On Holy Saturday, April 11, 2015, He called my name. I said Niko are you okay. He got up from the bed and grabbed me. A nurse was with us and she said let's put him back in bed and open the oxygen a little bit more. Then she said to me: Tell Niko that it is okay for him to leave. I did not want to but he was having problem breathing I bent over and said in Greek: NIKO IMASTE KALA. AN THELIS TORA, PIGENE STO KALO NIKO MOU. PIGENE STO THEO. EMIS THAMASTE KALA, EGO KE H KOPELES. And with this, he closed his eyes and his mouth and then took one long breath and he left me. He left me alone. If I could touch his face again I would be the happiest person in the world. I lost the man I loved for 30 years, I lost the music he would play for me, I lost my children's father, and the world lost one of the nicest persons that existed and the music world lost an entertainer that wanted the world to smile when he played for people to dance. I LOVE TO SEE THE PEOPLE HAPPY WHEN THEY ARE DANCING. That's what he said all the time. AGAIN, I thank all of you for the love and respect you have shown him. I thank all of you if you have donated to help with his funeral. I thank all of you for being his friend on Facebook and here on the forum. I thank Pikinos for his interview and posts. THANK YOU ALL. And please be aware that there is always someone in your family that may need your help, your love, or just your friendship. Always lend a hand. Niko helped many people over the years and no one knows that because he never showed off. When he performed he performed for the people. He was Greek but his life in the music started in America. I was told by many who knew him that Nick opened the doors for the stars to come over. It was an era that we younger people can only imagine. Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of your group. October 11, 2015 will be six months from the day he died. ZOI SE MAS.