Anca Pop death: Police launch investigation after singer, 34, found dead in Romania’s Danube river

Romanian-Canadian singer Anca Pop has died after her car plunged into a river.

Divers found the 34-year-old’s body submerged in the Danube river in south-west Romania on Monday (17 December), with authorities later confirming the body’s identity.

An investigation was launched after the artist’s sister alerted officers that she failed to arrive at their family home on Sunday (16 December). Police said they are continuing to investigate the death.

Anca Pop’s musical style was a fusion of Balkan and mainstream pop. She released a self-titled album in 2017, which was a hit in Japan, and collaborated with Bosnian musician Goran Bregovic on his Champagne for Gypsies album.

The singer’s family escaped communist Romania in 1987, fleeing across the Danube River to Yugoslavia, where they became political refugees, and later emigrated to Canada. They returned to Romania after the collapse of communism in the country.

Anca Pop caused an uproar among certain Romanians earlier this year after revealing she was in a same-sex relationship. While homosexuality has been decriminalised in the country, the society remains generally conservative.