I need to translate this Czech text to English while keeping any HTML tags and custom tags with **. Here's the translation: Czech Baba Vanga predicted the death of Iveta Bartošová (†48). She herself experienced a family tragedy and fought cancer
For years, her name was associated with prophecies about famous personalities, but her own life brought her painful trials. She lost her son, later became seriously ill, and hoped until her last moments that she would recover. She died in 2018 at the age of 69. The story of the woman who fascinated the public with alleged predictions is still remembered today in connection with the fate of a Czech singing star.
The name Jana Skálová was associated with mystery, cards and stories that aroused curiosity in people. The card reader came from Žilina, but she became famous primarily in Czechia, where she worked for many years and advised people who wanted to know what awaited them in the future. She also appeared on television screens and her clients were said to include not only ordinary people, but also famous personalities. She gained the most attention through claims about predictions that were supposed to concern tragic events. Among the most famous was the alleged prediction of the death of Iveta Bartošová. The singer died in April 2014 at the age of 48, that is, before she would celebrate her fiftieth birthday. It was this coincidence that repeatedly returned to the media over the years. The Czech daily Blesk reported on the life of Jana Skálová and her alleged prediction. However, behind the nickname Czech Baba Vanga was also hidden a personal story full of losses and difficult life periods.
From Seamstress to Famous Fortune Teller
Jana Skálová originally trained as a ladies' tailor. However, her life eventually took a different direction. She was drawn to fortune telling through her interest in tarot and cards, which according to her own statements she encountered at the age of fourteen. At first she read them for friends, gradually she began to devote herself to this activity more and more intensively. A significant moment was supposed to be her meeting with the famous Prague fortune teller Halaburdová. She allegedly recognized talent in her and encouraged her to dedicate herself to cards full-time. Jana Skálová thus gradually penetrated into an environment in which she built her own name. She was also said to be close to actress Helena Růžičková, from whom she was to gain further experience. Later she managed to succeed on television as well, which brought her even greater popularity. Viewers knew her from fortune-telling programs in which she answered people's questions regarding relationships, family or life decisions.
According to the media, she appeared on Prima and TV Relax stations, where she had her own night fortune-telling show. Her name was also associated with predictions concerning significant events, including the attacks on New York in September 2001 and the private life of singer Monika Absolonová. Such stories gradually strengthened her reputation as a woman who was able to see into the future. However, fortune-telling claims themselves are not a scientifically verified method of predicting events. With similar stories, it is therefore necessary to distinguish between what the card reader allegedly said and what can be independently verified.
A Prediction About Her Own Son Marked Her for Life
Behind the public image of a woman who had answers to questions about the future, there was also a painful family tragedy. Skálová spoke in the past about the death of her son Josef, which deeply affected her. According to her own words, she was reading cards for her mother-in-law and on this occasion inadvertently predicted the death of her own son. Josef was returning home from military service, but he never made it home. He died in an accident. For a mother, it was a loss she had to cope with for the rest of her life. Skálová claimed that after this experience, she decided to stop reading cards for herself and her loved ones. She didn't want to find herself again in a situation where her reading would be connected with the fate of her own family. The tragedy significantly influenced her relationship to fortune-telling. While previously cards had been her passion and work, after her son's death she set a boundary she no longer wanted to cross.
Whether it was a genuine prediction or a retroactive attribution of meaning to events cannot be independently confirmed. However, her personal experience shows that neither popularity nor public interest can protect a person from the pain of losing a loved one.
Iveta Bartošová was one of the most prominent stars of Czech pop music
Jana Skálová's story is most often recalled in connection with Iveta Bartošová. The singer was among the most famous faces of Czech popular music in the eighties and nineties. She had a distinctive voice, a delicate appearance, and many fans in Slovakia as well. She was born on April 8, 1966, and launched her musical career as a teenager. Her talent gradually propelled her to the top of the pop scene. She won three Golden Nightingales and her name was associated with hits that people remember to this day. Her well-known songs include, for example, Tři oříšky (Three Hazelnuts), Víš, lásko (You Know, My Love), and Knoflíky lásky (Buttons of Love). She collaborated with several prominent figures from the music world, including Karel Gott and Michal David.
Her popularity is also evidenced by the fact that in Slovakia, articles were written about her not only on significant life anniversaries, but also in reminiscences of her musical career. Radio Slovakia in an archive piece recalled her most famous songs and collaborations. However, alongside successes, there were also difficult periods. In later years, her personal problems, relationships and health issues came to the forefront. Her private life became a frequent topic of tabloid media and the singer found herself under intense public scrutiny.
Slovak Media Also Recalled Tabloid Pressure
In April 2026, Iveta Bartošová would have celebrated her 60th birthday. On this occasion, Slovak media also revisited her life story. The portal Noviny.sk in an article from April 5, 2026, recalled her achievements as well as media pressure. The commemorative text also featured statements from people who knew the singer or followed her career. According to them, Bartošová experienced great success, but in her private life she repeatedly faced difficult situations. Special attention was paid to her romantic relationships and problems with handling media interest. Noviny.sk recalled that the singer became one of the most prominent figures of the pop scene, but her life was not just a success story. To a large extent, it was also marked by personal tragedies and media attention, which in the final period of her life often focused on her private life.
Similarly, in 2024, former editor of the show Smotánka Ján Kubiš also spoke about her in an interview for STVR on the tenth anniversary of her death. According to Kubiš, Bartošová was a fragile personality who believed in goodness, but some people around her, in his opinion, exploited her for their own publicity. He also recalled her relationships with men, which often became the subject of media interest. Such memories bring a broader perspective on the singer's life. Instead of focusing only on the tragic ending, they also recall how difficult it can be for a famous person to live under constant public scrutiny.
Relationship with Josef Rychtář and the Chilling Words of the Fortune Teller
One of the most discussed chapters of Bartošová's private life was her marriage to Josef Rychtář. The singer married him in September 2013. At that time, her life was once again becoming the center of media attention and the public intensely followed her relationship and personal decisions. Jana Skálová later commented on this marriage as well. According to her interpretation, Bartošová was supposed to have seen in Rychtář a person who would bring her happiness and protection. When Iveta Bartošová married Josef Rychtář, fortune teller Jana Skálová spoke of love and happiness. Just seven months later, the singer tragically died under the wheels of a train. The clairvoyant later explained how she interpreted her fate.
She saw her Lord God in him (in Rychtář – editor's note). I'm very sorry, but she saw him through the eyes of an alcoholic. I knew it was her last happiness and she didn't want to go any further. I told her it was only temporary. He wasn't able to protect her,
she said in the television program Prásk!.
These statements gained a new dimension after Bartošová's death. However, it is important to perceive them as the fortune teller's claims and her personal interpretation of the relationship, not as proof that the singer's tragic end was predetermined or reliably predictable. At that time, Bartošová's private life was being written about with extraordinary intensity. This is also why her story became the subject of many later recollections and analyses that tried to explain everything that might have influenced the last years of her life.
Tragic End at the Age of 48
Iveta Bartošová died on April 29, 2014 in Prague's Uhříněves. She was only 48 years old and had several years remaining until her fiftieth birthday. The news of her death struck fans in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. According to reports from that time, she died after a collision with a train. Her death was confirmed by Czech sources and was subsequently picked up by Slovak news portals as well. The Press Agency of the Slovak Republic, through the portal Teraz.sk, reported on the tragedy on the day of her death. The singer left behind her son Artur, whom she had with musician and composer Ladislav Štaidl. Her son and her musical legacy remained a significant part of the memories of her life.
Bartošová's death also sparked a discussion about the role of tabloid media. Some fans and people from her circle pointed out the constant pressure she was subjected to. Slovak public television also recalled in an archived report from Radio Slovakia from April 2014 her long-term mental health problems, addiction treatment, and intense tabloid interest. The causes of a person's suffering cannot be simplified to a single factor. However, Bartošová's story raised the question of where the public's legitimate interest in celebrities ends and where invasion of their privacy begins.
Another fortune teller also spoke about her fate
Jana Skálová was not the only fortune teller whose name appeared in the media in connection with Bartošová. Czech fortune teller Jana Anny Vorlíčková also commented on her fate. According to contemporary reports in the Aha! newspaper, before the tragedy she was said to have spoken about the possibility that the singer would die an unnatural death.
I can't say whether it will be in a few months or in a year, but the cards tell me that Mrs. Bartošová will die and it won't be by natural means. Either someone will help her with it, or she will commit suicide,
said the fortune teller to the Aha!. newspaper
This story also repeatedly returned to the media after April 2014. Similar claims attract attention especially when they later become connected with a tragic event. However, they also raise the question of how much is an accurate prediction and how much is an interpretation whose significance was only highlighted after the event occurred. When evaluating similar stories, it is important to remember that people often more vividly remember statements that seemingly came true, while unsuccessful predictions remain in the background. In the case of Jana Skálová, her claim thus remains part of the media story, not scientific proof of the ability to predict death.
Cancer took away her hope for future plans
While Jana Skálová's name was associated with predictions about other people, at the end of her life she had to face a serious illness herself. According to Czech media, she fell ill in 2017 and underwent a difficult operation. Nevertheless, she believed she would recover. Even during treatment, she didn't want to completely give up what she had dedicated a substantial part of her life to. When her health temporarily improved, she continued reading cards. According to her grandson Petr, she still hoped to overcome the cancer. Her loved ones later recalled that she wanted to live and still had plans for the future. Even though the illness complicated her daily life, she didn't want to give up the idea of returning to her work. According to her friend Martin France, he last spoke with her on the phone approximately two weeks before her death. Skálová was interested in meeting and talking about a new television show. However, the meeting never happened because her health deteriorated again and she had fevers. France later told Czech media that they didn't manage to meet. Her plans thus remained unfinished.
She Died in the Hospital at the Age of 69
Jana Skálová died on May 13, 2018, at the age of 69. The news of her death was announced by her family through social media. The Czech newspaper Blesk subsequently reported that according to her close friend Martin France, she succumbed to cancer. Her grandson stated that her health condition had deteriorated so much that doctors could no longer help. The final period of her life was therefore difficult not only for her, but also for her family, who hoped for improvement. Despite the illness, she did not want to give up her plans. Shortly before her death, she was still thinking about a new television show and believed she would be able to return to the work she loved. Her story thus came to a close at a time when she still longed to continue living. She left behind a memory of a woman who had built her popularity through cards, but in private life also experienced tragedy that her alleged abilities could not change.
A Story That Connects Two Tragic Life Paths
Jana Skálová and Iveta Bartošová had different lives, yet their names repeatedly met in the media. One was a fortune teller who became famous for claims about predicting the future, the other a singer whose songs were known by entire generations of listeners. Skálová claimed that she predicted Bartošová's death. The singer's tragic end then caused this story to become one of the most well-known in connection with the Czech fortune teller. However, Skálová's own life showed that she too was not spared from pain, loss, and uncertainty. In memories of both women, the theme of difficult life periods that took place beyond their public face also appears. Bartošová faced media pressure and personal problems, Skálová lost her son and eventually fought cancer. Their stories today remain part of Czech and Slovak media memory. While Bartošová's songs continue to remind us of her musical talent, Jana Skálová's name returns primarily in connection with her television career and the alleged prediction of the singer's fate.
One thing is certain: behind the media-famous names were real people with their own hopes, fears and painful experiences. And it is precisely these personal stories that remain what attracts the public most, even after years.
Source: author's text, Noviny.sk, STVR, Teraz.sk, Blesk.cz, Ahaonline.cz
