Gabi Novak

Gabrijela "Gabi" Novak (pronounced [ɡâbi nôʋaːk]; 8 July 1936 – 11 August 2025) was a Croatian pop and jazz singer. A wife of the prominent Yugoslav singer-songwriter Arsen Dedić, whom she married in 1973, Novak became popular in the 1960s.

Gabi Novak
Novak performing in 1961
Born	Gabrijela Novak (1936-07-08)8 July 1936 Berlin, German Reich
Died	11 August 2025(2025-08-11) (aged 89) Zagreb, Croatia
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1959–2025
Spouses	Stipica Kalogjera ​ (div. 1970)​ Arsen Dedić ​ ​ (m. 1973; died 2015)​
Children	Matija Dedić
Musical career
Genres	Pop jazz
Instrument	Vocals

Life and career

Born in Berlin to a family of father Đuro Novak, a Croat from Hvar, and mother Elizabeth Reiman, a German from Berlin, Gabi Novak spent her childhood in her hometown but later she moved to Yugoslavia. Her father was killed in 1945.^[1][2]

Novak was married to the prominent composer Stipica Kalogjera but in 1970, they got divorced. On 30 March 1973, she married Arsen Dedić,^[3] a renowned singer-songwriter who also composed many of her songs.^[4] The couple had one son Matija, who died on 8 June 2025.^[5] Matija's funeral was Novak's last public appearance before her death two months later,^[6] on 11 August, at the age of 89. She died at a nursing home, shortly after recovering from pneumonia.^[7]

Awards

Gabi Novak was the winner of several Porin awards:

• Best Jazz Performance (2002)^[8]
• Album of the Year (2003)^[9]
• Best Female Vocal Performance (2003)^[9]
• Best Pop Album (2003)^[9]
• Best Vocal Collaboration (2003)^[9]
• Lifetime Achievement Award (2006).^[10]