The French-Romanian singer and actress Rona Hartner passed away at the age of 50, on Thursday, in the city of Toulon in southern France. She gained wide fame in the field of electro music in the Balkans, and won the Best Actress Award at the Locarno Film Festival for the movie “Gadjo Delo.”
The Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon wrote on its Instagram page: “Rona Hartner, the actress, singer and producer who was active in the Christian artistic community in Toulon, left us.”
Hartner gained wide fame in the field of electro music in the Balkans (AFP)
Her friend, history professor Alain Vinial, confirmed to Agence France-Presse that she “died after a struggle with cancer.” Born on March 9, 1973 in Bucharest, Hartner appeared in the film “Gadjo Delo” (1997) by Tony Gatliff, starring Romain Dury. It is the story of a French man who goes to Romania in search of a gypsy singer. For the role, she won the acting award at the Swiss Locarno Film Festival.
In a statement to the same agency, Gatliff expressed his sadness at Hartner’s death, recalling that she was “wonderful and very generous, in acting as well as in life.” He narrated that “when she won a prize in Locarno, she took all the food there and put it in a bag. “This upset the festival officials, but when she came out, she gave everything to the poor.”
He added: “I searched a lot for an actress to take on the role in (Gadjo Dilo), and I wanted a girl like her. “I have never seen a girl who could dare to act like this, but she was not vulgar, but generous.”
For her part, film critic Irina Margarita Nestor said: “I think she loved Romania very much, but Romania loved her less.” Despite her fame in France, “she did not get roles in Romania.”
Rhona Hartner was very active in the Christian artistic community in Toulon (AFP)
Hartner was also a musician and singer, and collaborated with a number of prominent DJs in the field of Balkan electro music, including German Chantelle and DJ Tagada, as well as with director David Lynch on a series of tracks. In 2015, she released the album “The Balkanic Gospel,” which combines gypsy, gospel, and jazz music.
It is reported that she will be buried in Romania, and the Bishop of Toulon, Monsignor Rey, will preside over a mass for her repose on December 6 in the city where she lived for 10 years.
