Biography
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Born
9 May 1946
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Born In
Berlin, Germany
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Died
9 June 2006 (aged 60)
Drafi Richard Franz Deutscher (born 9 May 1946 in Berlin-Charlottenburg; died 9 June 2006 in Frankfurt am Main) was a German singer, composer, and music producer. As a singer, he had a number-one hit in Germany in 1965 with "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht."
According to his own account, Drafi Deutscher came from the Jewish musical family Kálmán and grew up in poverty in Berlin with his grandmother. The well-known Hungarian operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán was said to be a great-uncle of Deutscher. However, these claims are widely disputed. Deutscher never met his purported father, the Hungarian pianist Drafi Kálmán. His mother, Margarete Lehmann, was a nurse.
He was married three times. With his first wife, Karin (1966–1976), he had twin sons born in 1965. From 1989 to 1991, he was married to the singer and actress Isabel Varell, for whom he also composed several songs. Deutscher was a member of the SPD.
On 19 and 22 November 1998, Deutscher suffered strokes.In 1999, he experienced a physical collapse, during which he was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Despite this, he continued to perform and supported charity events for children with diabetes.
On 20 May 2006, he fell ill with pneumonia at his home in Mömlingen and suffered a heart attack. Drafi Deutscher died on 9 June 2006 at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main at the age of 60. He was buried at the Städtischer Parkfriedhof Berlin-Lichterfelde (Section 16). His final resting place is marked by a gravestone in the shape of a hat.
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