Karel Gott fortune

Short introduction

Karel Gott, whose real name is Karel Gottar, was a Czech singer and composer. His talent as a painter was rather unknown. It was called the “Sinatra” of the East. He died on October 1st, 2019 at the age of 80.

Early life

Karel Gott was born on July 14, 1939 in Pilsen (Czech Republic) and moved to Prague with his parents after the war. He originally wanted to study painting, but was rejected by the university in Prague in 1954. He then trained as an electrician and began to sing in Prague dance cafés. It quickly became an insider tip and in 1957 it caught the eye of the Czechoslovak musician Karel Krautgartner in a singing competition. He recommended it to the Prague Conservatory, where Karel Gott trained as a classical tenor. He learned the German language thanks to an aunt who lived in Hesse. She regularly sent him German-language magazines to communist Czechoslovakia.

Career

The success came quickly after his vocal training when he released a Czech version of “Moon River”. This was his first record and in the following years he sang a permanent place in the Czech charts. He gained his first international experience in Cannes and Las Vegas in 1967/68 before representing Austria with a German-language song at the Grand Prix de la Chanson in 1968. He only came in 13th place, but since the song “Tausend Fenster” was by Udo Jürgens, he became known to the German audience. This made him a welcome guest on German music programs that appreciated his powerful voice in the songs composed by Karel Svoboda. One of his trademarks was his bohemian accent, which made him distinctive.

Career highlights

Karel Gott was most successful in Germany and in Czechoslovakia, among others with the songs “Lady Carneval” (1969), “Once Around the World” (1970), “From Bohemia to the World” (1971) or “Vom Böhmerwald to the Wienerwald ”(1975). He celebrated worldwide success with the title song for the television series “The Bee Maya” (1977) and the grandmother’s song “Babicka” (1979).

Other big hits followed with the songs “A love is worth a lot of tears” (1980), “Good evening, good mood” (1981), “You are there for me” (1983 ″), “No look back” (1987) and “I want you the way you are” (1989).

He actually wanted to retire from the music business in 1990 with a farewell tour to devote himself entirely to his other passion, painting. But the great loyalty of his fans and the many fan clubs around the world ultimately convinced him. His last collaboration with a German artist was in 2008 with the Berlin rapper and producer “Bushido”. Together they recorded a new version of “Forever Young” (2000).

Karel Gott mostly sang in German and Czech, but many of his approximately 100 albums have been translated into 15 languages.
It is estimated that he has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

He received the “The Golden Nightingale” award twice (1963 and 1971). This was followed by “The Golden Tuning Fork” (1982, 1984 and 1995), as well as the “Diamond Record” (1992) and the “European Crystal Globe” (2001). There are also numerous national awards such as the “Hermann Löns Medal in Gold” (1983) or the “Czech Medal of Merit 1st Class” (2009).

Karel Gott is the father of four daughters. The two elders, Dominika (born 1973) and Lucia (born 1988) come from illegitimate relationships. With his 28 year younger partner Ivana Machácková (born 1977) he had two daughters, Charlotte Ella (2006) and Nelly (2008), who was two years younger.

The singer left a will after overcoming cancer in 2015. In his inheritance, he bequeathed everything to his widow and their two daughters. Now there is a risk of an inheritance dispute similar to that of the family of Udo Jürgens, since the two illegitimate, but recognized by Karel Gott, threaten daughters if they are not granted the legal share of the inheritance.

Famous quotes

“Singing is an erotic explanation.”
“Everyone wants to be a tenor because somehow these are the tones that women like.”
“Schlager is an illusion, but entertainment is always an illusion.”

Success tip

Karel Gott was a world-class international artist and he believed that representing his country abroad was a political issue. He said that he had to know exactly when he could sing which songs in which country.