Death - Singer and entertainer Gunther Emmerlich dead: heart failure
The singer and entertainer Gunther Emmerlich is dead. He died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 79 at home in Dresden from heart failure, as his manager Gunter Grebler told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. The MDR had first reported.
Singing, directing, presenting, a foray into acting and, most recently, audio books - his trump card was diversity. He has written three books about his life. Born in Eisenberg (Thuringia) in 1944, the bass wanted to become a pilot or go to sea as a boy, but then studied opera singing at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar after training as a civil engineer.
In 1972, he was hired by the young talent studio of the Dresden Opera - shortly afterwards he joined the ensemble. The banjo player and jazz singer also founded the Semper House Band in 1985 with like-minded musicians from the Staatskapelle. From 1987, Emmerlich then conquered the TV screen in the GDR and with "Showkolade" - a mix of glitter, contemporary criticism and cabaret - even rivaled Thomas Gottschalk's "Wetten, dass...? " in the West.
In 1992, he terminated his contract with the Semperoper in order to work freelance. With shows such as "Nimm Dir Zeit", "Gunther und drüber" and "Zauberhafte Heimat", he then became a favorite of German television viewers in East and West. In 2008, he made his successful debut with opera singer Deborah Sasson at New York's Carnegie Hall. His musical repertoire ranges from church music to song cycles, arias and duets to Dixieland and swing. In 2015, he made his debut in an operetta at the Bad Hersfeld Festival.
Since then, he has made regular guest appearances with his own program in eastern Germany and appeared on television. According to a close friend, he was still at the recording of a Christmas concert on Sunday. On Wednesday evening, "we can all watch his last recorded program together on MDR and say goodbye to him," wrote his manager.
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- Gunther Emmerlich, the renowned singer and entertainer, hailed from Eisenberg in Thuringia, Germany.
- Before his successful career in music, Emmerlich trained as a civil engineer and harbored dreams of becoming a pilot or sailor.
- Operating in various capacities, Emmerlich worked with the Dresden Opera's young talent studio and eventually joined their ensemble.
- The television program "Showkolade," a blend of glamour, contemporary critique, and cabaret, propelled him to fame, challenging Thomas Gottschalk's "Wetten, dass..." in the West.
- After terminating his contract with the Semperoper in 1992, Emmerlich continued to captivate German audiences with his shows on MDR Television.
- In remembrance of Emmerlich, his final recorded program is set to air on MDR Television, offering viewers a heartfelt farewell to the beloved entertainer.
Source: www.stern.de
