Photo: František Ortmann, Copyrighted free use, via Wikimedia Commons
Music Legends · Community memorial
Karel Gott
July 14, 1939 – October 1, 2019 · Singer · Czech Republic
“The Golden Voice of Prague.”
The most beloved Czech singer of all time. For six decades, his voice was the soundtrack of everyday life in Czechia and far beyond its borders.
3 lights
every light is a memory
Lights around the world
People from 3 countries have lit a light here.
Their story
Karel Gott was born in Plzeň in 1939 and trained as an electrician before his voice changed everything. From the Semafor theatre stages of the early 1960s, he rose to become the defining voice of Czech popular music — a position he held, without interruption, for almost sixty years.
He recorded nearly a thousand songs, sold tens of millions of records and was voted the nation's most popular singer forty-two times. In Germany and Austria he was a star in his own right; generations of children across Europe know his voice from the Maya the Bee theme.
Karel Gott passed away in Prague on 1 October 2019. Tens of thousands of people stood in line to say goodbye. His songs are still played at weddings, kitchens and concert halls across the country he sang for.
A life in moments
1939
Born in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia.
1963
Wins his first Golden Nightingale award as the nation's favourite singer.
1968
Represents Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest and becomes a European star.
1977
Records the beloved theme song for Maya the Bee.
2019
Passes away in Prague at the age of 80; the nation mourns for days.
Today
His golden voice still plays in homes across Czechia and Europe.
Important dates
- Birthday · July 14
- Anniversary · October 1
Latest lights & memories
lit with love around the world
“Mistře, děkujeme. My grandmother, my mother and I — three generations grew up with your voice.”
“Die Biene Maja was my whole childhood. Danke, Karel.”
“There will never be another voice like yours.”
Others we remember
Are you family, a foundation or an official representative?
Request to manage or verify this memorial. Verified memorials are marked and their content is maintained with the family or estate.