For the past three years, crowds of children and adults gathered each week to watch a dozen hand-carved puppets sing and dance to Russian folk songs in front of the HMV record in Harvard Square.

But this weekend, the man behind the puppets, Igor Fokin, died of heart failure at the age of 36. The death came as a shock, according to family and friends.

Fokin left behind his wife, Anastasia Khanina, and three children, Evgeny, 11, Anna, 2, and Grigori, only two weeks old. His wife, who does not speak English, has no job and needs help supporting her family, according to Chris Schmidt, a local filmmaker and friend of the family.

In order to support the family, friends and neighbors have set up a fund at a local bank and are collecting donations in Harvard Square.

Fokin came to the United States from Russia three years ago with nothing but a suitcase full of puppets he made himself, Schmidt said.

In Russia, he studied at the St. Petersburg Theatrical Institute and then worked as a theater designer, learning a form of marionette art popular in pre-revolutionary Russia but which is now nearly forgotten.

Fokin was one of the last people still practicing this craft, Schmidt said.

When Fokin came to the United States, he established the one-man Wooden Horse Puppet Theater, supporting his family on money collected from his Brattle Street audience and from private shows.

Fokin first lived in Cambridge and them moved to Belmont. When he died, he was in the process of applying for a green card as a person "of extraordinary talent," Schmidt said.

"He had a special way of connecting to people. He made more of an impact here in three years than most people who live here all their lives make," Schmidt said. "Even though he performed the same shows over and over, he took pleasure in each show as if it were the first time he was performing it."

Fellow performers yesterday mourned the loss of a colleague.

"He was an amazing artist, a genius sculptor," said a street juggler who identified himself only as Jim and said he had known Fokin since his first day in Harvard Square. "He was magical. He made puppets come to life."

Jim said that although Fokin did not speak during his shows, "he made thousands of people smile. He didn't have to tell jokes. He just was himself. He'd turn on the music, and a crowd would form. He'd hold them enraptured for 25 minutes. He didn't have to ask for money. They just gave."

A Square violin player who identified himself as Henry said Fokin deserved praise for his kindness.

Fokin's funeral, along with a benefit performance in his honor, took place on Saturday.

The memorial fund was established yesterday morning at Belmont Savings Bank, 2 Leonard Street, Belmont, Mass. 02178, according to Anne Lavoie, a customer service representative at the bank. Lavoie, who is also a neighbor of the Fokins, said that the whole community is concerned and helping the family pull together