On Tuesday (February 24), the news about the tragic death of a former member of the legendary band Olympic shook the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Wife of Jiří Valenta († 66) pre she explained what happened on the fateful morning. He ended his life with a shot from a secretly kept weapon near the river Sázava, where he has retreated lately. His wife Mirjam was left in a huge shock, as she had no idea about the existence of the weapon.
According to her, although he suffered for a long time and visited a psychiatrist, his condition seemed to have stabilized recently. The last time they saw each other was just a day before the tragedy at the usual farewell, when she was leaving for Prague. “He’s been doing well in recent months. There was not a single hint in his behavior that he wanted to take his own life. How on earth could he do this to me?’ said the devastated widow, who was told the sad news by the police.
They were behind the musician’s tragic end long-term psychological problems and internal pain. According to his wife, they have started to be packed in 2013 after the sudden death of drummer and close friend Milan Peroutka († 49), while his fear for his wife, who had battled cancer in the past, also took its toll on him. “He was physically healthy, but his soul became ill,” his wife summed up his silent suffering.
Valenta was born on May 4, 1959 and also worked in the bands Capitol, Kentaur, Karamel and Framus 5. He joined Olympic in 1986, when he replaced Miroslav Berka. In 2020, after 34 years, he left the band for good, which he explained at the time as an extreme burnout syndrome and the loss of the ability to continue playing.
“I’m not dying, but I can’t play. I’m totally burnt out, including health problems in the family. I know that I will definitely return to music as soon as I get my act together,” Valenta wrote at the time. He was later replaced in the band by Pavel Březina.
“Olympic gave me a great musical experience, I got to know a part of the world with him and had wonderful moments with the boys. He took a piece of my life and some of my youthful ideals, but he definitely gave me much more than he took,” said Valenta after leaving Olympic.
