Nelu Ploieșteanu

Ion Dumitrache (16 December 1950 – 2 April 2021), artistically and commonly known as Nelu Ploieșteanu, was a Romanian lăutar, singer and fiddler of lăutărească music. He was born on 16 December 1950 in Ciorani, in the (now in the Prahova County), in Romania. Already at age 6, he played the accordion, and at age 17, he played music for money for the first time on a piano at a wedding.

Dumitrache sang publicly for the last time on 8 March 2021, in Slănic-Moldova. After this, he was hospitalized at the Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and died there on 2 April. His family claimed that the hospital had mistreated Dumitrache and left him "like a dog", saying they intended to sue the hospital.