Greek singer Dimitris Kokotas honoured at Agia Varvara funeral following death at 57
Family, colleagues, and residents gathered at the Church of Panagia Eleousa in Agia Varvara on Friday to bid farewell to Greek singer and municipal councillor Dimitris Kokotas, who died on 25 August at age 57 after a 2.5-year hospitalisation.
Farewell service in Agia Varvara
Mourners gathered on the morning of Friday, 28 August 2026, at the Church of Panagia Eleousa in Agia Varvara to pay tribute to Greek singer Dimitris Kokotas. The performer died on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, at the age of 57 following a hospitalisation period lasting roughly two and a half years. Relatives, friends, fellow artists from the Greek music industry, and local municipal colleagues began arriving outside the church from 10:30 onwards. The casket containing Kokotas arrived at the church grounds shortly before 11:00, greeted by applause from the crowd of attendees. The funeral service was scheduled to begin at 12:00, with the subsequent burial arranged to take place at the Third Cemetery of Athens.
Two-year hospitalisation and medical battle
Kokotas, the son of the late Greek singer Stamatis Kokotas, had been hospitalised since March 2024. The medical emergency began when he suffered a myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest during a rehearsal session for the television music show J2US. Following the incident, he was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Georgios Gennimatas Hospital in Athens. Medical bulletins noted that he remained under sedation in intensive care across multiple months as clinicians monitored his vital functions. His condition deteriorated in late August 2026 after he suffered a septic episode, leading to his death on 25 August.
- Elected as a municipal councillor in Agia Varvara
- Suffers heart attack and cardiac arrest during J2US rehearsals
- Dies at Georgios Gennimatas Hospital following a septic episode
- Casket arrives at the Church of Panagia Eleousa in Agia Varvara
- Funeral service held prior to burial at the Third Cemetery of Athens
Municipal honours and community tributes
In addition to his artistic career, Kokotas served in local government after securing election as a municipal councillor for Agia Varvara in the 2023 municipal elections. In response to his death, the Municipality of Agia Varvara issued an official announcement confirming that it would assume full financial responsibility for all funeral costs. The municipal administration decreed that municipal flags would remain at half-mast until the conclusion of the burial. Local authorities also established an annual conservatory scholarship bearing the name of Dimitris Kokotas and resolved to rename the main event hall at the conservatory in the Mitros Soulimiotis Mansion after him. All municipal cultural events originally scheduled for September were deferred until after the conclusion of the traditional 40-day memorial service.
Family mourning and charitable contributions
The singer's wife, Katerina Kokota, and their daughter, Riana, were present at the church from early morning to receive condolences. Family members maintained daily hospital visits at Georgios Gennimatas Hospital throughout the entire two-and-a-half-year medical ordeal. Ahead of the ceremony, the family issued an appeal asking for privacy so that the funeral service could proceed in a close circle. Representatives from the Greek entertainment sector and the municipal authority sent memorial wreaths to adorn the church. Outside the main entrance of the Church of Panagia Eleousa, organisers placed a donation box to collect funds for the Elpida Association of Friends of Children with Cancer in memory of Kokotas.
