He died George Tragas. The well-known journalist breathed his last at the age of 72 years on Tuesday morning (14.12), in the ICU of Sotiria hospital, having fought with coronavirus, being unvaccinated.
George Tragas, had entered an artificial kidney machine yesterday as his kidney function deteriorated.
The announcement of Sotiria hospital
"Journalist George Tragas and leader of the" Free People "movement ended today, 14.12.2021, at 03.10 in the ICU of the SOTIRIA hospital. Unvaccinated, was admitted with severe respiratory failure, due to covid19 infection on 04.12.2021 in a clinic of the hospital "I SOTIRIA" while a few hours later, due to his serious condition, he was transferred to the ICU of the same hospital ".
George Tragas: The turbulent life from the slums of Metaxourgeio to the ICU of "Sotiria" hospital
"Ladies and gentlemen in Athens, good morning to the whole territory"! The characteristic hoarse voice of George Tragas who for more than thirty years greeted the hundreds of thousands of listeners who reverently tuned their "radios" every day, as he said, in order to be heard, went out a few hours ago.
One of the most famous and successful journalists who wrote his own story with the radio shows, commenting on the current situation, passed away struck by the coronavirus, which caused him several serious complications. Whether he agreed or disagreed with his views, he can only admit that it was what we call "a charge in itself." Many tried unsuccessfully to imitate him, even in the tone of his voice, but γκ Tragas is / was only one.
He grew up in the slums of Metaxourgeio
Both his career path (not only in radio, but in all media), as well as personal life were both turbulent. He was born 72 years ago, and especially on July 30, 1949, as his identity stated, in the slums of Metaxourgeio, where he grew up next to brothels and beggars, as he said.
His father was a gynecologist but not for a moment did he think of pursuing his profession. From a young age, journalism had won him over. Initially he sent texts to local media and then to the magazine "Icons" of the late Eleni Vlachou. But inside he had not settled in the kind of reportage that would follow. He started from the free, covering essentially a little of everything that came to his mind and continued with the sports reportage, covering football matches on behalf of the newspaper "Mesimvrini".
Athanasiadis's murder shocks him
Crucial in its course will play "Dinner" of the publisher George Athanasiadis, who was murdered by a hitherto unknown man, on the afternoon of March 18, 1983. For the incident, the then 34-year-old George Tragas conducted an exhaustive investigation to reveal the killer and the perpetrator, but failed to reach the perpetrators. . He had now turned to police reporting and had made contact with the leadership of the Greek Police and with key people in the State Security who supplied him with revealing themes which were often made headlines. He will gradually move on to political reporting, in which he will admittedly record even greater success, something in which his style also helped. He spoke comfortably to the politicians of an independent party, although most of his sources came from the New Democracy area, talking to all the key figures who came and went on Rigillis Street and especially to the neoclassical building that housed the party founded by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
He was chased in Herfield Gardens
In 1988, working for the "Free Press", the first newspaper in circulation at the time, which sold 220.000 copies a day, an inconceivable number for today's data, there will be an incident that will make him more widely known, even to those who did not know him. It is the time when the then Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou has gone to Herfield Hospital of London for heart surgery and Tragas also goes to the British capital, on behalf of the newspaper, in order to send a daily response to the state of health of the prime minister. The medical announcements are sparing and are reproduced as they are by the Greek newspapers. He estimates that the health condition of the prime minister is much more aggravated than the one presented in the colorless press releases and tries to collect more data. He finds doctors and people close to Papandreou in order to learn something more.
At the same time, he sharply comments on the fact that on the side of the sick politician is a juicy flight attendant named Dimitra Liani. She has a secret love affair with the still married prime minister, which, however, has begun to be revealed. What George Tragas writes about this relationship causes tensions in PASOK with the result that the special secretary of the prime minister, Michalis Ziagas, attacked the reporter one day with fists and then chased him in the gardens of the hospital.
All the taxi drivers (and not only) listened to his shows
Equally important station in his career is that of radio Skai. In an era of intense political passions such as that of the late 1980s and early 1990s, George Tragas airs on the country's first radio station every morning and is listened to by millions of listeners. At that time there was no taxi to enter in the morning and the driver in the car did not hear Traga. His radio career took off and he became the highest paid producer in the country. Political offices, cafes, cars on the street, homes and workplaces listen to "En Athinais", the show that later passed through several radio stations, such as. from Real FM 97,8 for a period of seven years and from Parapolitika 90,1, to recently end up in self-managed Greece 94,3, while he had also set up the internet radio station Crash Radio, which was a continuation of the elegant Crash magazine published by .
The publishing ventures
Besides being a journalist, he was also a publisher, having published newspapers such as "Chora" and "Chora tis Kyriakis" which were a "school" for many later successful journalists, as was the case with the local television station "Kanali 10", which he also coordinated. released the equally successful show "Without Anesthetic", which he had started on Sky TV. As he said, "I have gone through all the major channels in the country, except Mega". We remind you that, among other things, he presented the show "Viva" on ANT1 and participated as a presenter or commentator in main news bulletins such as Alter, Extra Channel, Action 24, New Epsilon TV and the old Epsilon TV (today Open Beyond) .
Because of his well-known style of presentation and commentary, he has been targeted several times by politicians and independent authorities such as the National Broadcasting Council, which in February 2012 fined him 25.000 euros for using offensive language against the German chancellor. Angela Merkel.
At the same time, from time to time, his assets and declarations of whereabouts were investigated, as his name was on the much-discussed Lagarde list, the special list of Greeks who had deposited money in the HSBC bank in Switzerland.
He was asked to run for office and he formed his own party
It was not a few times that he had been hit by political parties in order to get down to the central political scene as a candidate for MP.
But he chose not to go with anyone and create his own body. Last February he announced the establishment of a political party under the name "Free People". Its purpose, as he claimed, is to ensure democracy, the fight against unemployment and the economic crisis that arose due to the coronavirus pandemic in Greece. Former Achaia MP Nikos Nikolopoulos and the Christian Democratic Party of Greece are co-founders of the party. In the following months, Rachel Makris's Victory Front, Dimitris Kazakis's United Pallas Front, Giannis Dimaras's Panhellenic Citizens' Chariot, the Hellenic Political Consciousness, the Borrowers-Democrat Party announced their support for the Free People Movement, the party of Democratic United Citizens, the Party of Greek Borrowers, as well as individual former MPs and politicians of PA.SOK, New Democracy, the Independent Greeks and the Greek Solution. However, in the following months there were departures from the formation with the main ones of Nikos Nikolopoulos and the Christian Democratic Party of Greece, Rachel Makri, Nikos Karahalios and the formations E.PA.M., DI.K.KI. and K.EL.DA. However, he not only did not put it down, but he considered that with the appropriate moves he could enter the Parliament taking advantage of the simple analog.
The road to the end and the 3 marriages with the same woman
But the coronavirus caught him. The December 1, 2021, announced in a post on the internet that he is ill. "The… escort is difficult but so far I am fine. I have a fever, it comes and goes. I have my taste and smell, I do not cough. I take zinc, vitamins "he will say in his last interview on zoogla.gr, to add that" I have never been a leader of anti-vaccinators in Greece. It is known that in thousands of my shows, I have advertised and I am in favor of consensual vaccination. As provided for in the decision of the European Council. "We are a movement of free people, not vaccinators."
At December 4 will be admitted to the hospital "Sotiria", on the 10th of the month he was intubated and his condition was gradually deteriorating due to his aggravated health history and high blood sugar that had plagued him for many years. During his hospitalization, he suffered a heart attack and underwent a stent placement, after which he was connected to an artificial kidney machine as his body did not respond. His wife Maria Carra, no matter how much he wanted to be by his side during those difficult times, unfortunately he could not do it as the doctors forbade the visits, as is the case with every patient who has a coronavirus. She herself had fallen ill, but she went through it much easier, which is also due to her young age, as she is 28 years younger.
They were married to George Tragas… three times. As the well-known journalist reported on July 30, 2019, on YouTube, "I am posting today an excerpt from the video of the renewal of the wedding vows with my wife Maria Carra. The ceremony took place last April at a Chapel in Las Vegas. It was a special experience for all of us. "Pope" "Elvis Presley" (as he was the one who was dressed as Elvis). Groomsmen are George Damaskos and his wife. As for the "bridesmaid" he was none other than my beloved Asterix (s.s. his dog). A ceremony which via live streaming was broadcast even to the picturesque… Agra of Edessa (where my mother-in-law lives). I expect good comments, at least for this video. May all of you be well!".
via: Newsbeast