obituary from
Holger Gertz
Back then, in the holy days of the “ZDF hit parade”, the interpreters sang their hits and played their roles at the same time, both of which were sewn to fit them perfectly. Everything should be in good order, in life out there as well as in the hit parade, which was a paradise of its own, where everyone got along well with each other. The yearning Greek Vicky Leandros, the lonely Yugoslavian Bata Illic, the always funny post-war Brits like Graham Bonney, plus the German heartthrobs, naturally properly internationalized in terms of name: Roy Black, Rex Gildo. Sometimes there was someone by the name of Ivan Rebroff, who always wore fur clothes, even in the summer. Rebroff was the thoroughly creepy fake Russian in the realm of Schnarrer Heck. Actually, Rebroff’s name was Hans Rolf Rippert and he came from Spandau.