Biography
Lilijana Buttler (Љиљана Петровић, her baptismal name, 1944 - 2010) was a Yugoslav singer, well known and loved by the public for her genuine, dynamic yet charming performance.
Buttler was born Liliana Petrovic on December 14, 1944 in Belgrade (then Kingdom of Yugoslavia, now Serbia) during World War II. Her father was a Roma accordionist from Serbia, while her mother was a Croatian singer from Zagreb. Her father abandoned the family shortly after his daughter's birth and the mother moved with the daughter to the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she found work as a pub singer. As a child, Liliana started singing in various centers, initially with her mother or as a substitute for her. She soon gained great fame throughout the Balkan region.
Her debut album was recorded in 1982 and her popularity grew especially in that decade. At the height of her career, the Yugoslav Civil War broke out, she immigrated to Dusseldorf, Germany, married and took her husband's name (Buttler). In 2002, she was invited to return and record another album, which was a great success and brought her back to the forefront of Balkan folk music. Her last album was released in 2009. She died of cancer on April 26, 2021 in Dusseldorf.