1922 Chaliapin's departure from Russia

95 years ago, on June 29, 1922, the singer Fyodor Chaliapin, the first to receive the title of People's Artist of the Republic, went on tour to the United States and never returned to Russia. His long absence aroused the suspicions of the Soviet authorities. In 1927, Chaliapin donated the proceeds from one of his concerts to the children of Russian emigrants. This was perceived as support for the White Guards and was the reason for depriving him of the title of People's Artist on August 24, 1927 and a ban on returning to the USSR. The title was returned to Chaliapin only in 1991, 53 years after his death.