Police spokeswoman Claudia Burada says Manole left a farewell message to her husband, Mircea Petru, early Wednesday. Prosecutors are examining the possibility of suicide.

Manole was 15 when she made her debut as a singer, and became one of Romania's best-loved artists of folk and popular music, often with romantic themes.

Her auburn tresses helped make her known in Romania as the "girl with the flame-colored hair." She is survived by her husband and a 1-year-old son, Petru.