The Mr. Trololo Internet Meme, Russian Singer Eduard Khil, Has Died

Russian singer Eduard Khil has died at age 77 after being hospitalised in May following a stroke. The Soviet-era singer became an internet sensation in 2010 after a video for the lyric-less track I Am So Happy To Finally Be Back Home, became a viral hit and he was dubbed Mr. Trololo.

In it Khil sings what sounds to be like "Trololololo", a popular internet term stemming from the phrase "lol" (laugh out loud) and troll (the act of pissing someone - or many people - off because it's the internet and you'll do what you damn well please).

The video has attracted over 12 million views on YouTube, and stemmed many splinter 'memes'.

Russian news service RT (formerly Russia Today) confimed Khil's death today.

Before his internet fame, Khil was actually a Soviet star in his own right. He was celebrated by the country, winning accolades and crowds during the late '60s and '70s.

Speaking on the internet video in recent years, he told media that he found out through his grandson.

“I found out about it from my 13-year-old grandson," Khil recalled. "He walked into the room humming the song – and I asked him: 'Why are you singing it?' He says: 'Grandpa you're home drinking tea here, in the meantime everyone is singing your song on the internet.”

In his last years he had began performing again.

Watch him in 2012: