Raivo Järvi (23 December 1954 – 17 June 2012), commonly known under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of Onu Raivo (Uncle Raivo) was an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

radio personality A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Early life and education

Järvi was born in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

. His mother was Polish-born ballerina Svetlana Järvi. His father was musician Riho Järvi. In 1979, Järvi graduated from the

Estonian Academy of Arts The Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonian language, Estonian: ''Eesti Kunstiakadeemia'', EKA) is the only public university in Estonia providing higher education in art, design, architecture, Media (communication), media, art history and conservation ...

with a degree in

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

. While in school, he danced as part of a

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp� ...

hosted by his mother at the Astoria restaurant in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

Artistic career

Järvi was a freelance artist from 1983 until 2003. He illustrated more than 22 books and wrote and illustrated a children's book.

Mass media career

Järvi appeared in a number of TV shows and radio programmes, most famously in ''

Kõige Suurem Sõber Kõige Suurem Sõber (Estonian language, Estonian for ''The Biggest Friend'') was a long-running children's TV show on Estonian Television in the early 1980s. It featured a big orange furry creature called Leopold (played by Harry Kõrvits) and ...

'' and '' Onu Raivo Jutupliiats''. He also appeared regularly on

Radio Kuku Radio Kuku (, also called ''Kuku-raadio'') is an Estonian radio station. It was the first politically independent privately owned radio station in post- occupation Estonia, established in 1992 by a media businessman and later politician Rein La ...

with his show ''Onu Raivo rännakud''.

Political career

Järvi joined the Moderate People's Party but failed to be elected in 1999 and 2002. Following this, he joined the

Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party () is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kristen Michal since 2024. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" () or as "the Squirrels" (), referencing its logo. It was founded in ...

in 2002 and was elected as a member of Riigikogu in 2003 and 2007. He became a substitute member in 2011, replacing the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Urmas Paet Urmas Paet affectionately known as „Nõmme Ummi“, (born 20 April 1974) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He is a member of the Reform Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for ...

Personal life

Järvi was married to Estonian ballerina Tatjana Järvi and had a child from a previous marriage. He died on 17 June 2012 after a brief illness.Suri Raivo Järvi
.

ERR Err is the verb form of error. Err, err or ERR may refer to: Geography * Err, Pyrénées-Orientales, a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, France * Errachidia Province, Morocco, by ISO 3166-2:MA code * Piz d'Err, a mountain in the A ...

Awards

2001 Medal of

The Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

References

External links

* 1954 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Estonian male artists 20th-century Estonian artists 21st-century Estonian male artists 21st-century Estonian artists 20th-century Estonian illustrators 21st-century Estonian illustrators Estonian children's book illustrators Estonian radio personalities Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 Estonian television personalities Estonian Reform Party politicians Recipients of the Order of the White Star, Medal Class Estonian Academy of Arts alumni People from Pärnu {{Europe-artist-stub