Udo Jürgens: So lives his last great love for the millionaires
The entertainer would celebrate
his 85th birthday on September 30th. Now his partner Michaela Moritz
gives the fans a moving book, it was Udo's heart's wish.
The sun is shining on the lake in southern Germany this Friday in
August when Michaela Moritz, 49, takes her dog on a walk. She meets
acquaintances, they talk and laugh. Michaela Moritz looks relaxed and
happy. It is nice to see that Udo Jürgen's last great love goes well.
It has been five years since the popular singer died on December 21 of heart failure. During a walk near the house in the Swiss village of Gottlieben, where he lived with Michaela and was so happy during his last years. ”
It has been five years since the popular singer died on December 21 of heart failure. During a walk near the house in the Swiss village of Gottlieben, where he lived with Michaela and was so happy during his last years. ”
He planned to marry her
With the Austrian author (she studied philosophy and literature and was awarded the Austrian Young Talent Prize for Literature) he has had an intimate relationship with him since the early 2000s intellect . Moritz was one of the few people he trusted and shared in his (partly melancholic) thoughts. In 2004, their joint novel "The Man with the Bassoon" appeared, since then the couple was inseparable despite the great age difference.BUNTE exclusively reported that Udo Jürgens even planned to marry Michaela. Maybe he suspected that after his death, she could face quarrels with his descendants and his boss. That's how it happened. But in the meantime, Udo's favorite people have shared his legacy. Per capita, each of his four children is said to have received about ten million Swiss francs, Michaela Moritz.
Before the family came to court with Michaela Moritz, there was a big inheritance dispute.
His sweetheart's caretaker
As a bonus for her years of love and loyalty, Michaela Moritz was given the right to continue publishing books on Udo Jürgens. BUNTE knows that from the immediate environment of the Jürgen family. Udo wanted not only his more than 1,000 self-composed songs to continue after his death, but also for people to know who and what touched him during the fall of his life. As guardian of this treasure, he chose his sweetheart. On September 30, Udo Jürgens celebrated his 85th birthday. In memory of this date, Michaela Moritz now makes fans of the stars a special gift: The August 28 book "Game of Life", which Michaela Moritz (since 2006 until his death) wrote together with Udo Jürgens.Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian-Swiss composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over fifty years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close to 1,000 songs, and sold over 100 million records.[1] In 2007 he additionally obtained Swiss citizenship.[2]
He is credited with broadening German-language pop music beyond the traditional postwar "Schlager" (hit song) in the 1950s by infusing it with a modern pop appeal and French chanson style. His compositions and arrangements attracted fans of all ages. Until his death at age 80 he continued to fill venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.[3]
Career
In 1952 Udo Bolan, as he was called then, formed the Udo Bolan Quartet In Klagenfurt, Austria appearing regularly at the Café Obelisk in Klagenfurt with Englishman Johnny Richards on drums, Klaus Behmel on guitar and Bruno Geiger on Bass. The quartet played regularly at various dance and jazz venues and also broadcast on Radio Alpenland and the British Forces Radio network produced by Mike Fior.In 1950, he won a composer contest organized by Austria's public broadcasting channel ORF with the song "Je t'aime". He wrote the 1961 worldwide hit "Reach for the Stars", sung by Shirley Bassey.[4]
In 1964, he represented Austria for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 with the song "Warum nur, warum?", finishing sixth. The UK participant, Matt Monro, was impressed with the melody and covered the song (with English lyrics by his manager Don Black) as "Walk Away," which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart and number 23 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In the following years, he wrote the songs, like "Griechischer Wein", "Aber bitte mit Sahne", "Mit 66 Jahren", and — one of his biggest successes — "Buenos Días, Argentina", which he performed together with the Germany national football team in 1978.
In 1977, he invited The Supremes to appear as guests on his televised and recorded gala concert. The Supremes (Mary Wilson, Scherrie Payne, and Susaye Green), who were on a brief farewell tour of Europe at the time, performed two of their own hits, "You Are The Heart of Me" and "You're My Driving Wheel", as well as a duet with Jürgens' "Walk Away" in English.[6]
In 1979, he released a disco album entitled Udo '80. It produced a hit song "Ich weiß was ich will". This song was also released as a 12 inch disco single in an extended remix for discothèques.
On 2 December 2007, the jukebox musical Ich war noch niemals in New York (I've never been to New York) opened in Hamburg's Operettenhaus. It weaves songs by Jürgens into a familial storyline, similar to the treatment of ABBA songs in Mamma Mia!, the musical it succeeded at the venue.
Since 2015, Udo Jürgens holds the worldwide-record as the artist with the longest presence in the charts ever - more than 57 years from his first entry 1958 till 2015. [7]
Cover versions
- "Merci Chérie" by Claude Carrère and André Salvet (French)
- "Merci" by Vito Pallavicini (Italian)
- "Merci Cherie" by Baker Cavendish (English)
- "Merci Cherie" by Fred Bekky (Dutch)
- "Merci Chérie" by Al Sandström (Swedish)
- "Merci Chérie" by Gina Trandafirescu (Romanian)
- "Merci Cheri" by Andrzej Ozga (Polish)
In addition to recording Cavendish's "Merci, Chérie" lyric, Matt Monro covered five more Jürgens compositions, all with English lyrics (unrelated to the German ones) written by his manager Don Black. Four of these became closely associated with the British singer (and were subsequently covered by Jürgens himself):
- "Warum nur warum?" became "Walk Away" (a 1964 Top 40 hit in both the U.S. and UK)
- "Du sollst die Welt für mich sein" became "Without You" (a 1965 UK Top 40 hit)
- "Was Ich Dir Sagen Will" became "The Music Played" (1968)
- "Illusionen" became "If I Never Sing Another Song" (1977), which was later performed by Frankie Laine, Shirley Bassey, Sammy Davis, Jr., and other entertainers.
In one of his last recording sessions, Bing Crosby covered an English version of Jürgens' "Griechischer Wein" called "Come Share The Wine," which also was written by Black.[10] The song was released after Crosby's death in 1977 as the title track of a compilation album and was later recorded by Al Martino.
In the early 1990s, the German thrash metal band Sodom released a 'metalized' cover of the boogie "Aber bitte mit Sahne".
In 2009 the German band Sportfreunde Stiller covered "Ich war noch niemals in New York" together with Jürgens on their MTV Unplugged concert in Munich.
Death
On 21 December 2014, Jürgens died of acute heart failure in Münsterlingen, Switzerland at the age of 80. With Austria's success at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, the first since Jürgens' success in 1966, Jürgens expressed his interest in performing in the interval of the next contest. With his death, the organisers of the 2015 contest in Vienna paid tribute to him with a tribute day on 20 May and at the beginning of the grand final.[11][12]Family
- His brother, Manfred Bockelmann (born 1 July 1943), is a painter.
- His son by first marriage, John Jürgens (born 20 February 1964), is a singer, actor and DJ.
- His daughter by his first marriage, Jenny Jürgens (born 22 January 1967), is an actress.
- His uncle, Werner Bockelmann (23 September 1907 – 7 April 1968), was mayor of Frankfurt am Main
Discography
- Portrait in Musik (1965)
- Merci, Chérie (1966, Eurovision)
- Chansons (1967)
- Portrait in Musik 2. Folge (1967)
- Was ich Dir sagen will (1967)
- Mein Lied für Dich (1968)
- Udo (1968)
- Wünsche zur Weihnachtszeit (1968)
- Udo Live (1969)
- Portrait International (1969)
- Udo '70 (1969)
- Udo '71 (1970)
- Zeig mir den Platz an der Sonne (1971)
- Helden, Helden (Musical) (1972)
- Ich bin wieder da (1972)
- Udo in Concert – Europatournee '72/'73 (1973)
- International 2 (1973)
- Live in Japan (1973)
- Udo heute (1974)
- Meine Lieder (1974)
- Udo '75 (1975)
- Meine Lieder 2 (1976)
- Udo Live '77 (1977)
- Meine Lieder '77 (1977)
- Lieder, die auf Reisen gehen (1978)
- Buenos Días Argentina (Football World-Championship) (1978)
- Ein Mann und seine Lieder – Live (1978)
- Nur ein Lächeln (1979)
- Udo '80 (1979)
- Meine Lieder sind wie Hände – Live (1980)
- Leave a Little Love (1981)
- Willkommen in meinem Leben (1981)
- Silberstreifen (1982)
- Udo Live – Lust am Leben (1982)
- Traumtänzer (1983)
- Hautnah (1984)
- Udo Live und hautnah (1985)
- Treibjagd (1985)
- Deinetwegen (1986)
- Udo Live '87 (1987)
- Das blaue Album (1988)
- Sogar Engel brauchen Gluck (Best of compilation incl. 5 remakes) (1989)
- Ohne Maske (1989)
- Live ohne Maske (1990)
- Sempre Roma (Football World-Championship) (1990)
- Das Traumschiff (Instrumental Soundtrack) (1990)
- Geradeaus (1991)
- Open Air Symphony (1992)
- Cafe Größenwahn (1993)
- Aber bitte mit Sahne (Hits compilation incl. 1 new song and 2 remakes) (1994)
- 140 Tage Cafe Größenwahn Tour 94/95 (1995)
- Zärtlicher Chaot (1995)
- Gestern-Heute-Morgen (1996)
- Gestern-Heute-Morgen – Live '97 (1997)
- Aber bitte mit Sahne 2 (Hits compilation incl. 8 remakes) (1998)
- Ich werde da sein (1999)
- Mit 66 Jahren (Was wichtig ist) (2000)
- Mit 66 Jahren – Live 2001 (2001)
- Es lebe das Laster (2002)
- Es werde Licht (2003)
- Es Lebe das Laster – Udo Live (2004)
- Jetzt oder nie (2005)
- Der Solo-Abend – Live am Gendarmenmarkt (2005)
- Jetzt Oder Nie – Live 2006 (2006)
- Einfach Ich (2008)
- Einfach Ich – Live 2009 (2009)
- Best Of (incl. 1 remake Live by MTV unplugged) (2009)
- Der ganz normale Wahnsinn (2011)
- Der Mann mit dem Fagott (Soundtrack to his own movie) (2011)
- Der ganz normale Wahnsinn – LIVE (2012)
- Mitten im Leben (2014)
- Udo Jürgens Live – Das letzte Konzert Zürich 2014 mit dem Orchester Pepe Lienhard (new Live Album recorded at his last concert of his last tour, 7 December 2014, only two weeks before he suddenly dies) (2015)
- Merci, Udo! (2016)
- Merci, Udo! 2 (2017)
References
- "Eurovision Village zollt Udo Jürgens Tribut". Vienna Online. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Udo Jürgens. |
- Wolfgang Spahr: Casebook Udo Jürgens. Billboard, 26. März 1994
- Excerpts from a thesis on Jürgens (2002) by Christian Mädler (in German)
- Official website (in German)
- Udo Jürgens discography at Discogs
- Udo Jürgens on IMDb
- Udo Jürgens - Ich war noch niemals in New York Musical (in German)
Awards and achievements | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by France Gall with "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" |
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 |
Succeeded by Sandie Shaw with "Puppet on a String" |
Preceded by Carmela Corren with "Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder" |
Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964–1966 "Warum nur warum?"(1964) and "Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüßen"(1965) with "Merci, Chérie"(1966) |
Succeeded by Peter Horton with "Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt" |
| |||
| |||
Categories:
- 1934 births
- 2014 deaths
- Austrian male singers
- Austrian Eurovision Song Contest entrants
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1964
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1965
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1966
- Eurovision Song Contest winners
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassadors
- People from Klagenfurt
- Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany