[4] While he is mostly remembered for songs about love and fate, most of his work held a clearly political message against the Soviet regime, calling for change.

[9] Talkov also made a brief presence in the cinema, acting in the films Behind the Last Line and Tsar Ivan the Terrible .

[13][14][15] According to Talkov's wife Tatyana and son Igor Jr., the last months of the singer's life he received threats.

Talkov called the singer's guard Igor Malakhov to his dressing room, and a verbal conflict occurred between them.

Talkov began to prepare for his performance, but a few minutes later the administrator of his Lifebuoy group, Valery Shlyafman, ran up to him, shouting that Malakhov had taken out a revolver.

Talkov pulled out a gas pistol from his bag, which he had acquired for self-defense, ran into the corridor and, seeing that his guards were at gunpoint of Igor Malakhov, fired three shots at him.

After conducting examinations in April 1992, the investigation established that the last shot was made by Valery Schlyafman, Talkov's one time manager.

[17] However, in February 1992, the defendant left for Israel, with which Russia did not have an extradition agreement at the time, and the murder case was suspended.