Party for Peace". Since the early 1990s, Kobzon has personally funded numerous orphanages around the country. In 2002, he risked his life as key negotiator in the Moscow theater hostage crisis. His involvement resulted in the release of a mother with three children and a British citizen. Kobzon's innumerable contributions to culture, music, humanitarian and political life across the Commonwealth of Independent States saw a monument depicting Kobzon erected near his birthplace, in Donetsk, Ukraine in 2003. Between 2005 and 2007, he was the head of the State Duma's culture committee. In 2007, his name was entered into the Guinness Book of Records (Russian Edition) as the most decorated artist in the country's history. In 2009, Kobzon became the 24th individual to be named Honorary Citizen of Moscow. He has suffered from prostate cancer since 2005. He died on 30 August 2018. "Russia's Frank Sinatra" Considering Kobzon's career, personality, spirit and singing style, many say that he was Russia's answer to the U.S. crooner Frank Sinatra. Besides their singing careers, both Sinatra and Kobzon used their popularity towards an active involvement in politics. The parallels between the two became the focus of media articles, books and novels claiming to have detailed knowledge of Russia's gangster world based on inside information obtained from the CIA. As a result, Kobzon was barred entry to the United States from 1995 when his visa was revoked on allegations of mafia ties. In response, Kobzon successfully sued numerous publications for propagating unsubstantiated rumours, asserting his impeccable reputation and great honour among millions of Russian-speakers worldwide. Stance on Ukraine In March 2014, Kobzon was among 500 Russian artists who signed an open letter in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea. As a result, in July 2014, Kobzon was included in a selected group of Russian artists banned from entering Latvia. Following the Revolution of Dignity, pro-Russian unrest broke out in Ukraine. In late October 2014, Kobzon visited Donbas on a humanitarian mission, providing medications to hospitals in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and giving a free concert in support of the people of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. As a result of the visit, Alexander Zakharchenko (then Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic) bestowed on Kobzon the title of Russia's "honorary consul" to DPR. However, the title had questionable meaning as there are no reports of Russia formally sending Kobzon as an honorary consul to