Mourning for Eberhard Hertel
Stefanie Hertel’s father dies at the age of 85
Eberhard Hertel, photographed here in 2024, was particularly successful as a musician in the GDR.
© imago images/STAR-MEDIA
Pop star Stefanie Hertel mourns the loss of her father. The well-known musician Eberhard Hertel died on Thursday at the age of 85.
Eberhard Hertel (1938-2024) is dead. The musician and father of pop star Stefanie Hertel (44) died on the morning of June 20 at the age of 85, as the “Freie Presse” first reported. According to the report, Mario Horn, the mayor of Hertel’s hometown of Oelsnitz, announced the singer’s death. The city flag in front of the Oelsnitz town hall was lowered to half-mast as a sign of mourning.
Eberhard Hertel: Music star of the GDR
Eberhard Hertel did not begin his music career until he was in his late 30s. In 1976 he appeared on the GDR television show “Heitere Premiere” with a folk medley and immediately sang his way into the hearts of the audience. From then on he was one of the biggest music stars in the GDR and was repeatedly seen and heard on the folk music show “Oberhofer Bauernmarkt”.
Hertel performed here for the first time in 1985 with his daughter Stefanie Hertel, who was only six years old at the time. Together they sang the song “I wish I had a little teddy bear” in their first TV appearance. Over the years, father and daughter appeared on stage together again and again and remained close in artistic terms. Stefanie Hertel’s mother Elizabeth Hertel (1950-2017) died in 2017 at the age of 67.