Cristian Vasile

{{Short description|Romanian singer}}

Cristian Vasile (May 8, 1908 – June 15, 1974) was a well-known Romanian tango-romance (Romanță) singer between 1928 and 1949, famous for songs such as "Zaraza", "Aprinde o țigară", "Ce să-ți mai scriu", "Pentru tine am făcut nebunii", and "Nunuțo". He was born in Brăila, and died in 1974 in Sibiu.

His greatest success, the song "Zaraza", that was said to refer to a Roma woman he was in love with at that time, was in fact an adapted version of a Uruguayan tango written in 1929 by Benjamín Alfonso Tagle Lara. A popular rumour surrounding the song says that Vasile's lover was murdered by a rival singer, Zavaidoc, and her death caused Vasile to never sing again. Vasile did in fact abruptly stop his singing career, but a more credible explanation is that he lost his voice due to cancer.{{Citation

| last =Tănase

| first =Stelian

| title =Zaraza all inclusive

| journal =Observator Cultural

| issue =393

| year =2008

| url =http://www.observatorcultural.ro/Zaraza-all-inclusive*articleID_18497-articles_details.html

}} Although he was supposedly at odds with Zavaidoc, there is no proof that such a rivalry existed beyond mere rumours.{{Citation

| last =Apostol

| first =Maria

| title =Legenda frumoasei Zaraza, țiganca pe care o iubeau nebunește lăutarii din Micul Paris. A existat sau nu?

| journal =Adevărul

| date =6 April 2011

| url =http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/bucuresti/POVESTI_DE_BUCURESTI_-Audio-_Legenda_frumoasei_Zaraza-tiganca_pe_care_o_iubeau_nebuneste_lautarii_din_Micul_Paris-_A_existat_sau_nu_0_457754236.html

}}