Journalist, film editor and actress Emma Abaidullina became the last love of Eldar Ryazanov. This woman was able to pull the popularly beloved director out of the deep depression in which he was after the death of his second wife, and inspire him to create new film masterpieces. Abaidullina was for Ryazanov not only a loving wife, but also a devoted friend and like-minded person. Only the death of the director could put an end to their 20-year marriage.
First marriage and children
Emma Valerianovna Abaidullina was born in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg) on May 15, 1941. After graduation, the girl began to study journalism. Later she worked in her hometown as a correspondent and editor of the local cinema center.
In the early 60s, Abaidullina married designer Valery Berdyugin. From this marriage in 1964 her son Oleg was born. After 2 years, the couple had another boy. Young parents named their youngest son Igor. A few years later, Emma Abaidullina's first marriage cracked. After divorcing her husband, she moved to Moscow with her children and got a job as a correspondent.
Marriage with Aedonitsky
In 1985, Emma Valerianovna met the Soviet composer Pavel Aedonitsky, who wrote music for the songs of Anna German, Lev Leshchenko, Iosif Kobzon and other famous performers. Shortly before this meeting, Pavel Kuzmich buried his wife, with whom he had lived in a happy marriage for 30 years. The composer felt unhappy and useless, but his acquaintance with Abaidullina inspired in him the desire to continue living. Aedonitsky made an offer to a journalist who was 19 years younger than him, and received her consent. This marriage was disapprovingly received by others and did not bring the expected happiness to the newlyweds. From the very beginning, Aedonitsky's son disliked his stepmother and called her a "widower hunter", hinting that she needed his father's money. Six months after the wedding, Pavel Kuzmich and Emma Valerianovna broke up. As a result of the divorce, the journalist got a one-room apartment in the center of Moscow from her ex-husband.
Meet Eldar Ryazanov
The first meeting of Emma Abaidullina and Eldar Ryazanov took place in 1987, at the Moscow Film Festival, where the correspondent interviewed the master of Soviet cinema. At that time, the director of The Irony of Fate … was happily married to the editor of Mosfilm, Nina Skuybina, so there could be no question of any romance between him and the journalist. After that EldarAlexandrovich repeatedly crossed paths with Emma Valerianovna at work, they became good friends and sympathized with each other.
A new round of relations
In 1994, Eldar Ryazanov experienced great grief by burying his wife Nina, who died of cancer. Relatives were seriously concerned about his condition, because after the death of his beloved wife, he began to get sick often and lost all interest in life. The director was no longer going to marry, but one day, having become very depressed, he called Emma Valerianovna and asked her to meet with him. This act marked the beginning of their relationship. The always cheerful and tireless journalist literally pulled Ryazanov out of a protracted depression and helped him feel the joy of life again.
The director's muse
Emma Abaidullina became Ryazanov's wife a year after the death of Nina Skuybina. Despite the hasty marriage, the master did not forget his wife and the first toast that he uttered at his own wedding was dedicated to her memory. Emma Valerianovna was sympathetic to her husband's feelings and did not object to the fact that he still had a photograph of Nina Skuybina on his desktop.
After marrying Eldar Alexandrovich, Abaidullina left journalism and devoted herself entirely to his interests. She took care of her husband's shaky he alth, took him to the doctors, monitored his diet. Being 14 years younger than Ryazanov, Emma Valerianovna shared her irrepressible energy with him and inspired him to new creative achievements. During the period of living together with her, the director created his lastfilms, including "Old Nags", "Still Whirlpools", "Andersen. Life without love”, etc. His wife was often with him on the set, edited scripts for his films and even starred in a small role in the continuation of “Carnival Night”.
Due to Ryazanov's poor he alth, the couple rarely attended social events and practically did not communicate with journalists. But when Eldar Aleksandrovich felt well, it was difficult to find him at home. Together with his wife, the director was often seen at classical music concerts at the conservatory or at meetings with high-ranking officials. Ryazanov and Abaidullina gladly received guests both at home and at the Eldar cinema club, whose deputy director Emma Valerianovna herself has been for many years.
Relations with in-laws
Relatives of Eldar Alexandrovich (daughter Olga and stepson Nikolai) at first disapproved of Emma Abaidullina-Ryazanova. They were sure that she got married, pursuing selfish goals. But seeing how their father blossomed after the marriage, they realized that Emma Valerianovna's feelings for her husband were real, and changed their attitude towards her. In one of the interviews, Olga Eldarovna said that she was grateful to Abaidullina for prolonging her father's life with her care.
Death of a great spouse
Eldar Ryazanov got sick more and more every year, and in November 2015 he died. Emma Valerianovna was next to her husband at the time of his death. Director atlife wanted to be buried next to Nina Skuybina and even bought himself a plot for burial next to her grave. But Abaidullina decided not to fulfill the last will of Eldar Alexandrovich. She ensured that he was buried separately from his ex-wife. The last muse of the master did not explain the motives of her act, thereby causing disapproval of his relatives and friends.
Abaidullina's life after Ryazanov's death
Having buried her husband, Emma Valerianovna focused on her children and grandchildren. Her sons from their first marriage by that time had become successful people. Both graduated and worked in the media business. Children supported their mother in every possible way after the death of her husband.
In 2017, under the guidance of Emma Abaidullina's eldest son Oleg Berdyugin, an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Eldar Ryazanov was being prepared. However, in the midst of the preparatory work, Oleg suddenly died of a heart attack. This happened on the night of November 1, 2017. The body of Emma Valerianovna's eldest son was discovered by his wife. Berdyugin did not complain about his he alth and did not go to the doctors, so his death was an unexpected blow for everyone who knew him. Emma Valerianovna had a particularly hard time, because in 2 years she buried two people dear to her.
Emma Abaidullina has an interesting coincidence in her biography. The second and third husbands of the journalist had much in common: they were both older than her, were engaged in art and had recently been widowed. But if the joint life of Emma Valerianovna with the composer Aedonitsky did not work out from the very beginning, then for EldarAlexandrovich, his last wife became a real savior, thanks to whom he was able to live a long life and feel loved until his last days. Today Abaidullina, despite her considerable age, remains active. She is one of the leaders of the film club-museum "Eldar" and organizes events dedicated to the memory of her famous husband.
