Miqtë përkujtojnë këngëtaren
Anita Bitri
Miq dhe dashamirës të këngëtares
shqiptare Anita Bitri u mblodhën
mbrëmë në Staten Island të Nju Jorkut
pranë shtëpisë së saj, në shenjë nderimi
për artisten e njohur e cila humbi jetën
tragjikisht. ...
Anita Bitri, e ëma dhe vajza e saj u
gjetën dje të vdekura në shtëpinë e tyre,
me sa duket të asfiksuara nga dioksidi i
karbonit.
Artistë shqiptarë me banim në Nju Jork
dhe dashamirës të tjerë ndezën qirinj dhe
u lutën në shenjë respekti për
këngëtaren, zëri i së cilës do të mbetet i
paharruar si për ata që e kanë njohur kur
këndonte në Shqipëri ashtu edhe për
shqiptaro-amerikanët e shumtë që e
kanë parë në dhjetra koncerte në Nju
Jork, Uashington dhe shtete të tjerë të
Amerikës.
Anita gjendej kudo në festat e
shqiptarëve të Amerikës, zëri i saj do të
ishte patjetër i pranishëm në festat e
flamurit, të 8 marsit apo në festat e tyre
private.
Kohët e fundit Anita kishte regjistruar
një album të ri me titull “Çdo gjë është e
mundur” dhe kishte në plan të bënte një
turne në Shqipëri, Kosovë dhe Maqedoni
për ta promovuar atë. Ajo po punonte
edhe për një album në anglisht. Raifi
kujton se si njeri ajo ishte shumë
optimiste.
Vetëm dy muaj më parë, burri i saj Luan
Prapaniku, kishte vdekur nga kanceri.
Anita i shkruante vetë këngët që
interpretonte dhe këto ishin këngë të
muzikës së lehtë ku gërshetohej muzika
tradicionale shqiptare me muzikën pop
amerikane.
Në këngët e Anitës gjeje një kombinim
interesant të fjalëve shqip me fjalët
anglisht dhe ajo kishte filluar të punonte
për të regjistruar disa videokaseta me
muzikën e saj.
Shqiptarët e Nju Jorkut, sidomos artistët
që e njihnin Anitën janë të tronditur nga
tragjedia dhe ata thonë se në këto
momente ende nuk është e qartë se si
dhe ku do të organizohet varrimi i
viktimave.
Sidoqoftë disa prej tyre kanë dalë
vullnetarë për të organizuar grumbullime
fondesh ndërsa të shtunën pasdite, në
Kishën e Parë Evangjelike të Bruklinit,
do të mbajnë një ceremoni përkujtimore
për nder të Anitës.
'House of Evil'
By IKIMULISA LIVINGSTON and LORENA MONGELLI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 21, 2004 -- Anita Bitri, the "Albanian Madonna," was killed by carbon monoxide
at her Staten Island home. Her daughter and mom also died. Brooklyn Media Lab
The boyfriend of an Albanian pop star who died of carbon-monoxide poisoning on
Staten Island with her mother and young daughter said he waited two days before
breaking into the "house of evil" and finding the bodies.
Albanian immigrant Parid Gjoka, 28, told The Post yesterday he made the grisly
discovery in South Beach early Tuesday after trying in vain to reach 36-year-old singer-
songwriter Anita Bitri — known to her compatriots as the Albanian Madonna.
It is not yet known exactly when the three died.
"It was two days, no call, no anything," said a distraught Gjoka. "I was worried,
because she usually calls. I waited outside the house, in the car, in the driveway."
"The lights were on inside, and I was waiting and waiting and waiting," he said.
"I was parked and I slept outside," he said. "Then I decided to go in. I broke the window
and went inside and I saw the dead bodies . . . all of them."
Bitri died with her mom, Azbie Bitraj, 60, and daughter, Nini Sibora, 7.
Mayor Bloomberg yesterday said investigators had found a plastic bag blocking a flue
pipe in the house's boiler. He said the blockage had forced the colorless, odorless gas
into the apartment while the family slept.
Police were searching for a contractor who had been working on the house and may
have been responsible for the deaths. He could face charges of criminal negligence, law-
enforcement sources said.
Outside the death house yesterday, friends and fans set up a memorial lined with
scented, colored candles, as well as flowers, teddy bears and framed photos.
Last night, scores of friends and relatives gathered at the Azzara Funeral Home on Staten
Island to mourn and remember.
"We just lost three generations of beautiful people," said Haxhi Maqellara, a Bitri band
member. "This is a very tragic loss."
Another band member, Vait Hajdaraj, told friends "I was the first to come here with
Anita in March of 1996, and I was the last to play together with her on Sunday at a
birthday party.
"She was brave and talented. She was able to go forth and accomplish many things," he
said, adding sadly, "She had more dreams that will now never be realized."
Bitri's maternal uncle Enver Hasanbellia said his niece "loved people and loved America."
Newspapers in Bitri's native Albania published news of the three deaths on their front
pages with headlines such as "Tragedy in New York."
Bitri's brother was due to arrive here today to make arrangements to have the three
bodies flown back to Albania for burial.
Tezja e Anites, Engjellushe Hasanbelliu (Lartë)
Vajza e Anitës, Sibora (majtas)
Shtëpia ku vdiq Anita bashkë me
familjen e saj
|
Carbon monoxide kills family of 3
Albanian singing star, her mother and daughter,
found dead in South Beach bedroom
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
By JEFF HARRELL
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
An Albanian pop singer revered as a superstar in her native country
was found dead yesterday morning in her South Beach home, along
with her mother and young daughter, victims of apparent carbon
monoxide poisoning.
The bodies of Anita Bitri-Prapaniku, 36, Azbie Bitri, 60, and Sibora
Nini, 7, were discovered by a family friend in a second-floor bedroom
in the rear of the house at 81 Ocean Ave. The friend called 911 at 8:26
a.m., according to Assistant Chief Thomas Haring, FDNY borough
commander for Staten Island.
Carbon monoxide readings inside the house "maxed out our meters" at
900 parts per million (ppm), Haring said, a lethal amount that
overwhelms maximum normal household levels of 9 ppm.
A family friend who gave her name only as Natasha recalled Mrs.
Bitri-Prapaniku saying Sunday that she was going to turn the heat on
that night for the first time in several months "because it was starting
to get cold."
Neighbors said neither Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku, nor her mother or
daughter had been seen outside the house since Sunday.
A dog, cat and pet birds also were found dead.
The house, which was being renovated, used a gas-fired boiler that
relies on an outside vent, not a chimney, said Buildings Department
spokeswoman Ilyse Fink. She said it appeared that the ventilation
system may have been blocked by plastic stuffed in the vent when
workers were doing a renovation job outside the house.
A source indicated that a safety mechanism -- designed to shut the
furnace off once carbon monoxide began to back up in the vent -- was
found disconnected.
'CULPABLE PARTY?'
No permits were filed at Buildings for the concrete work, and Ms.
Fink stressed that the agency was still investigating who did the work.
Neighbors said Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku -- who according to property
records purchased the house in 2000 with her husband, Luan
Prapaniku -- had enlisted the services of friends, relatives and
contractors to do the renovations.
Prapaniku, 52, died of cancer on July 22.
As of yesterday, no violations had been issued for the recent work
done at the home, according to Ms. Fink.
"If there is a culpable party, we would all be interested in finding out
who that person is," Ms. Fink said.
"When there is no survivor," she added, "it becomes more difficult to
recreate what happened."
It was also unclear yesterday whether the family had been renting two
small buildings behind the house.
In the main house where the family died, the living area was located on
the first floor and the bedrooms were on the second floor. The kitchen
was located in the cellar.
"It's not an illegal conversion, but it's not the typical setup of a
traditional house," said Jennifer Givner, another spokeswoman for
Buildings.
HEATING SEASON
Police also are investigating the deaths.
Chief William Calhoun, NYPD Staten Island borough commander, said
detectives were unsure of where culpability, if any, would fall.
"It's clearly a tragedy," Calhoun said. "This just reminds people, it's the
season [that] heat goes on and you must be careful."
Haring also called the deaths "a tragedy," and reminded residents of a
new city law, signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in May, which
requires installation of carbon monoxide detectors in most residences
by Nov. 1.
"If you haven't looked at your heating system, now's a good time to do
it," Haring said.
Said one neighbor: "I don't have [a carbon monoxide detector]. But I'm
going out to buy one today."
Most noticeable to neighbors early this week was the absence of Azbie
Bitri, who usually could be spotted daily picking up around the yard.
"They were old-fashioned like that. It wasn't like them not to be
outside," said one neighbor, who didn't give his name.
"We thought they were on vacation or something," said another
neighbor, who also wished to remain anonymous.
According to Natasha, Sibora, a third-grade student at PS 39 in
Arrochar, was not in school on Monday.
When Natasha and her 4-year-old son went to the house Monday
afternoon and banged on the door and rang the doorbell, there was no
answer, she said, not even from the family dog, which barked
frequently. She and her son then left, the woman said.
BODIES FOUND
Early yesterday morning, neighbors heard a man scream from the
driveway, "It's not like them to not be outside."
Friends said the man who discovered the bodies in the upstairs
bedroom was Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku's boy friend, but they did not know
his name.
Engine Co. 161 from South Beach was the first emergency services
unit to arrive on the scene after FDNY received the 911 call at 8:26
a.m.
Lt. Michael Galletta from Engine 161 said that when he walked into the
room, the three "appeared that they were sleeping."
News of Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku's death spread quickly from Staten
Island's Albanian community all the way to Tirana, Albania, the
country's capital.
The popular singer known for her stylish mix of Albanian folk music
and light, contemporary sounds was classically trained and graduated
from the Tirana Arts Academy.
"She was like Madonna in Albania," said Leunora Ruci, a family friend
who works as a private nurse in South Beach. "They were very nice
people. I'm shocked."
Before moving to New York seven years ago, Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku had
made a name for herself in Albania as a pop sensation, performing as
Anita Bitri.
A music video titled "Pop Singer" depicts the singer on several
Albanian television shows, backed by small bands and large orchestras.
AMERICAN DREAM
Friends said she came to the United States in pursuit of her dream of
stardom.
Locally, Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku worked around the Island, singing
mostly at Albanian clubs, restaurant and events.
At the time of her death, the singer and Brooklyn producer James
Avatar were in the process of recording two CDs -- one in Albanian
and one in English -- as well as creating a music video. According to
friends, Sibora, her daughter from a previous relationship, also
appeared on the video.
Occasionally, Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku would check in at Video Ulqini, 344
Victory Blvd., a Tompkinsville store that specializes in Albanian music,
to see how her videos were selling, said store worker Hasam Gorana.
"She's known here among Albanians -- she's very well known here,"
Gorana said, adding that he had heard the Albanian singer had died
yesterday morning while police and fire investigators were still at the
house.
"Her videos sell very good," he said.
"Now, people will rush over to buy as much as they can, just to have
it," Gorana said. "It's very sad."
-- Advance news reporters Melissa Anelli, Karen O'Shea and Doug
Auer contributed to this report, along with the Los Angeles
Times-Washington Post News Service.
Jeff Harrell covers police and fire news for the Advance. He may be
reached at harrell@siadvance.com.
A vibrant house, family robbed of all life
Singer may have lived quieter life on Island,
but was still loved by Albanian community
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
By MELISSA ANELLI
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
Yesterday, with white flowers visible through the
window and a jaunty Halloween skeleton hanging on the
front, Anita Bitri-Prapaniku's house in South Beach
looked as vibrant and welcoming as the wrought-iron
"Welcome" sign near the door implied.
But by midday, stunned neighbors were staring at the
pink, two-story home from which three bodies --
representing three generations, and the last of a family --
had just been carried.
Described by friends as "the Madonna of Albania,"
36-year-old Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku, her 60-year-old
mother and her 8-year-old daughter died of apparent
carbon monoxide poisoning.
"We can't believe it, we don't want to believe this," said
family friend Natasha, who requested her last name not
be used.
"They were very nice people, very handsome," said
Natasha, weeping as she spoke.
The deaths sent a wave of shock and sorrow through
the close-knit community. Neighbors watched the
events outside their windows and then the news on their
television sets. Former co-workers and distant cousins
of the dead rushed to the house in disbelief.
Within hours Albanian reporters were on the scene.
Onlookers stood in the rain for hours, marveling that a
house so full of vibrancy and promise had been robbed
of all life.
QUIET STAR
Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku left a whirlwind celebrity life
behind when she moved to Staten Island eight years ago.
Her press clippings show her being mobbed outside her
shows and concerts, her neighbors said. In Albania, she
rarely left her house without greeting a horde of
photographers.
In her videos, she's an elegant chanteuse, with bright
facial expressions and a sultry aesthetic eerily
reminiscent of Selena, the Mexican-American pop star
who was murdered.
Here, Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku lived a quieter life on Ocean
Avenue, where she moved in 2000 with her husband of
two years, Luan Prapaniku.
In July, Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku lost her husband to lung
cancer.
Despite being as famous among the Staten Island
Albanian community as she was in Albania, Mrs.
Bitri-Prapaniku played an active role in her 8-year-old
daughter Sibora's life. She sang at parties and worked
on an album, which is in final pre-release stages with the
Brooklyn Media Lab.
Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku wrote her own songs, and one
track on her new album details her love for her
daughter. Sibora also sings on the album.
"I can't believe this. We're all still in shock," said Nora
Qori, Mr. Prapaniku's sister, yesterday. "We haven't
even absorbed that it hasn't even been three months
[since Luan died]."
Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku recently turned down a proposal
from her current boy friend, friends said. She wasn't
ready to marry again, she told them.
Despite personal hardships, she was still a vibrant
presence in the community; one friend described her as
"a star" in every respect, exuding charisma as she
bounded down the street with her small brown dog,
Megi, tucked under her arm.
"She was so happy-go-lucky, so full of life," said
Angelina Malvagna, who with her husband owns the
corner store where Mrs. Bitri-Prapaniku shopped nearly
every day. "They were all very happy, very good
people."
'SWEET GIRL'
In a recent picture, Sibora Nini -- who sometimes told
neighbors her last name was "Nikunini," combining hers
and her stepfather's last names -- smiles gleefully as her
friends cake her cheeks with makeup.
This was the true Sibora, friends and neighbors said.
"Sibora was a sweetheart. Happy, she was so happy.
Always giddy," said Eric Baez, whose daughter, Aurelia,
was a playmate of Sibora's.
Parents of the victim's playfriends spoke in hushed tones
about how best to break the news to their children, who
would be coming home from school at PS 39 in
Arrochar shortly.
The school sent two separate letters home; one to the
families of Sibora's classmates, containing all available
information and an insert describing how to speak with
youngsters about death, and another to all other
students, containing a more general note.
"It really rattled everybody here," said PS 39 Principal
Robert Corso. "She was a very sweet girl, a cute little
girl."
After school, teachers grieved together and received a
packet of lesson suggestions to help students express
their feelings.
Psychologists will meet with the children in Sibora's
class throughout the next few days, and will be available
to others affected by the loss.
After school, Sibora would usually head to the public
library down the street from her house.
The librarian said the girl came almost every day,
spending hours poring over children's books, or doing
her homework on the computer.
She was there on Saturday.
HARDY WOMAN
Azbie Bitri didn't speak much English. Every day for the
past three years, she'd go over to her friends Natasha
and Shpresa's house to say hello, play with the children
and ask for advice on everyday matters that her trouble
with the language made difficult.
Sibora would often accompany her and play with
Natasha's 4-year-old son, Ismael.
Mrs. Bitri was a kind but hardy woman, Shpresa said.
She would often clean up around the contractors on the
Ocean Avenue house, leading one of the workers to
tease that he didn't need any help besides her.
On Sunday, Mrs. Bitri was over for her normal visit,
along with Sibora. While Sibora played with Ismael and
Shpresa's daughter, Mrs. Bitri spoke of the oncoming
winter, and her worries about the construction on the
house during the cold weather.
Yesterday, Shpresa's daughter was taking the news
hard.
"My daughter, she said, 'Now I don't have any friends
here,'" Shpresa said, crying. "She was beautiful, this little
girl, Sibora, she was very beautiful. We miss these
people. We miss them."
Advance news reporter Deborah Young contributed to
this report.
Melissa Anelli is a news reporter for the Advance. She
may be reached at anelli@siadvance.com.
