Anniversary of the tragedy. 45 years ago Anna Jantar said goodbye to her daughter

Anna Jantar and Jarosław Kukulski – a turbulent relationship

The story of Anna Jantar and Jarosław Kukulski began in 1969, when the musician was looking for a female vocalist for his band Waganci. Their partnership quickly turned into affection, and just a year later they stood on the wedding cake. Anna was only 19 years old and Jarosław was six years older than her. Their daughter, Natalia Kukulska, was born in 1976 and became the singer’s greatest joy.

Separation before the tour

At the end of 1979, Anna Jantar was preparing for a three-month tour in the United States. She was to perform in Chicago and New Jersey, among other places. Although her professional career was gaining momentum, her heart was with her daughter. The decision to leave did not come easily to her – she knew it would be a long time without Natalia. As her mother, Halina Szmeterling, recalled, the singer planned that this would be the last such long trip. She had specific goals: to raise money for her daughter’s eye surgery and to furnish her new home.

Jantar’s emotional farewell to her daughter

Anna Jantar avoided talking about the departure in Natalia’s presence. She mainly packed at night when her daughter was asleep so as not to cause her sadness. However, on the day of the departure, emotions reached a fever pitch. The four-year-old girl refused to let her mother leave the house. She burst out crying, begging her not to fly to America. It was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the singer’s life.

A longing that was hard to bear

Already in the first weeks of her stay in the USA, Anna Jantar wrote letters full of longing to her mother. She dreamt of bringing her daughter back through Pagart, but if that did not work out, she wanted to return as soon as possible. “I miss the little one terribly,” she confessed in one letter. In others, she wrote that she had bought Natalia dresses and toys as a surprise for her fourth birthday.

Anna Jantar – The return that never happened

On Natalia’s birthday, 3 March 1980, Anna Jantar was still in the States, but she already had a ticket for her return flight. On 14 March, she boarded the ‘Mikołaj Kopernik’ flight, looking forward to seeing her daughter again. Natalia and her grandmother were waiting at Okęcie airport, watching the machine land. Suddenly, tragedy struck – the plane crashed on landing approach. Amid the confusion and despair, Natalia did not understand what had happened. She only remembers her grandmother snatching the bouquet of flowers from her hands and throwing it to the ground.

Natalia Kukulska and the memory of her mother

After Anna Jantar’s death, it was her grandmother Halina who took over Natalia’s care. Although the girl did not have many memories associated with her mother, over the years she got to know her from stories. Halina Szmeterling, despite her own despair, devoted her life to her granddaughter. “She was part of me, she replaced my mum,” – wrote Natalia when her grandmother died in 2016. Today, Natalia Kukulska cherishes the memory of Anna Jantar, performing her songs and sharing her memories. Although 45 years have passed since the tragic events, her music and story continue to move generations.

See also: A quarter of a century of love. NataliaKukulska and Michał Dąbrówka celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary