Vytautas Kernagis

Born May 19, 1951

Vytautas Kernagis (19 May 1951 – 15 March 2008) was a Lithuanian singer-songwriter ("bard") actor, director, and television announcer. He is considered to be a pioneer of Lithuanian sung poetry. Vytautas Kernagis was born to the family of actors Aleksandras Kernagis and Gražina Kernagienė. In 1973 he graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. In 1975 he enrolled in correspondence courses on stage directing at State Institute of Theatre Arts in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1980. He was a member of the pioneering Lithuanian big beat bands Aisčiai (1966–1968) and Rupūs miltai (1969–1972). Kernagis suffered from gastric cancer and died March 15, 2008. He was cremated and interred in the Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius.