Franz Beckenbauer, Richard Lugner, Maggie Smith The world had to say goodbye to these stars in 2024

dpa

24.12.2024 - 19:05

Stars like Franz Beckenbauer, Maggie Smith and Quincy Jones had an impact on entire generations of fans. They died in 2024. And other prominent faces alongside them.

DPA

24.12.2024, 19:05

25.12.2024, 11:54

No time? blue News summarizes for you

A number of well-known names passed away in 2024.
Among them Franz Beckenbauer, one of Germany's greatest footballers, coaches and sports officials.
In August, Richard Lugner closed his eyes forever. The Austrian building contractor was best known for his participation in the Vienna Opera Ball with famous company.
Many colleagues said goodbye to Maggie Smith, known from the TV series "Downton Abbey" and the "Harry Potter" films, in September.
In October, musician Liam Payne fell from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires under the influence of drugs.

They have shaped the entertainment industry, sport, business and politics like few others. They have been Nobel Prize winners or company bosses, film divas or music greats, bestselling authors or media phenomena. Below you can find out who the world had to say goodbye to in 2024.

03.01. Günther Fielmann (84)

The entrepreneur launched Germany's largest optician chain in terms of turnover and employees with the concept of "fashionable cash register glasses". Born in Schleswig-Holstein, he created his empire with more than 1,000 branches and around 23,000 employees from virtually nothing. The trained optician opened his first store in Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony, in 1972. The IPO in 1984 was followed by expansion into other European countries.

Günther Fielmann became involved as an organic farmer and donated to education, science and culture, ecology and nature conservation. He gave his employees shares in the family business, which his son Marc (35) has managed since 2019.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Fielmann (@fielmann)

07.01. Franz Beckenbauer (78)

The footballer, coach and sports official was one of the most outstanding personalities in German football. Franz Beckenbauer's professional career began in 1964 at FC Bayern Munich, with whom he became German champion four times. From 1965 to 1977, he played 103 times for the national team, which won the European Championship title in 1972 and the World Cup title in 1974 under his leadership as captain and libero.

As DFB team manager (1984-1990), he led the team to the 1990 World Cup and held top positions at FC Bayern. As head of the bid committee, he brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von FC Bayern (@fcbayern)

Dark shadows fell on his life's work when dubious payments of millions surrounding the awarding of the World Cup came to light. He was not proven guilty of any wrongdoing, and fraud proceedings in Switzerland became time-barred.

23.01. Frank Farian (82)

Whether "Daddy Cool" or "Rasputin": the German pop music producer's songs were the soundtrack of a generation. Born Franz Reuther in Kirn an der Nahe, Farian created danceable pop music classics like a conveyor belt in his adopted home of Miami, USA, from the 1970s onwards.

He founded globally successful groups such as Boney M. and Milli Vanilli. At the beginning of the 1990s, it became known that the two members of the band Milli Vanilli had not sung themselves. The case is still considered one of the biggest fraud scandals in music history.

07.02. Alfred Grosser (99)

The French political scientist and publicist of German descent was a specialist in Franco-German issues and one of the intellectual pioneers of the Franco-German friendship treaty known as the Élysée Treaty.

Alfred Grosser wrote numerous books ("How different are the Germans?", 2002) in which he helped the Germans and French to understand each other. For his role as a mediator, he was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Grand Cross of Merit and the French Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

10.02. Fritz Puppel (79)

Together with drummer Klaus Selmke (1950-2020), the trained toolmaker founded the band City, one of the most important GDR rock groups, in East Berlin in 1972. They were known for hits such as "Wand an Wand", "Mir wird kalt dabei" and "Am Fenster". Many of the lyrics were on the edge of what was permitted in the GDR.

The musicians were regularly represented in the charts. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, success returned after a break. The band once again filled large halls and a new album was released almost every year. At the end of 2022, City retired from the stage after 50 years.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von CITY (@city_die.kultband)

13.02 Johanna von Koczian (90)

The actress and singer was known as the "German Audrey Hepburn". The soprano, who trained at the Salzburg Mozarteum, became famous in the 1970s with the hit "Das bisschen Haushalt". Her range extended from Kleist, Shakespeare and Lessing to the television series "Praxis Bülowbogen" (1987-1996) and "In aller Freundschaft" (since 1998).

She made her cinema debut in 1957 in the comedy "Viktor und Viktoria" (1957). Her breakthrough was Kurt Hoffmann's (1910-2001) film "Wir Wunderkinder" (1958) with Hansjörg Felmy (1931-2007). Von Koczian performed in touring theater and in musicals such as "My Fair Lady" and "Kiss me, Kate". In addition to novels, she wrote books for children and young people.

16.02. Alexei Navalny (47)

The most prominent politician of the Russian opposition and staunch opponent of President Vladimir Putin (72) died in a prison camp behind the Arctic Circle for unknown reasons. The lawyer, blogger and activist repeatedly denounced the corruption, enrichment and venality of Russian politicians as the "party of crooks and thieves". He vehemently criticized the Kremlin's authoritarian system and Putin's war against Ukraine.

In August 2020, Alexei Navalny survived an assassination attempt in Siberia using the nerve agent Novichok, was flown to Berlin and treated at the Charité hospital. On his return to Moscow in January 2021, he was detained at the airport. He was last sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2023 for alleged extremism. His wife Yulia Navalnaya (48) continues to fight for his ideas from exile.

15.03. Henry Valentino (95)

Under this name, the singer, whose real name was Hans Blum, became known as a fictional character with a hat, a broad glued-on moustache and a disguised grater's voice, especially with his hit "Im Wagen vor mir". The chorus with its characteristic "Rada rada radadadada, rada rada radadadada" became a catchy tune.

Henry Valentino was actually primarily a composer. The names of the artists for whom he wrote songs range from Howard Carpendale (78, "Das schöne Mädchen von Seite eins") to Wencke Myhre (77, "Beiss nicht gleich in jeden Apfel") and Hildegard Knef (1925-2002, "Der alte Wolf").

25.03. Fritz Wepper (82)

The Munich-born actor entertained German television audiences for decades, for example as detective assistant Harry Klein in the cult ZDF series "Derrick" (1974-1998) alongside Horst Tappert (1923-2008) or as the mayor in the ARD series "Um Himmels Willen" (2002-2021).

He became internationally famous as a 17-year-old in 1959 with the role of Albert Mutz in Bernhard Wicki's (1919-2000) award-winning anti-war film "Die Brücke" (1959). Further offers followed, including for the Oscar-winning US film musical "Cabaret" (1972) with US actress Liza Minnelli (78). Fritz Wepper shot the crime series "Zwei Brüder" (1994-2001) with his brother Elmar (1944-2023), then the series "Mord in bester Gesellschaft" (2007-2017) with daughter Sophie (43).

26.03 Richard Serra (85)

With his steel sculptures, some of which weigh several tons, the American became one of the most successful sculptors in the world. The artist, who studied English literature at the elite Yale University, was always controversial. Richard Serra repeatedly emphasized that the popularity of his work meant nothing to him.

He created sculptures for more than 100 public places, from Philadelphia and St. Louis to São Paulo, the "Terminal" in Bochum and "Torque" in Saarbrücken. Although he withdrew his design for the Holocaust memorial in Berlin following a dispute, he came up with the basic idea of a sea of stelae.

03.04. Vera Chekhova (83)

Her film list of almost 100 roles was long, her Russian family was famous and her green eyes were her trademark.

Vera Tschechowa received the Federal Film Prize in 1962 for the Böll film "Das Brot der frühen Jahre" (1962). With her then husband Vadim Glowna (1941-2012), she made the Cannes entry "Desperado City" (1981), the Max Frisch film "Bluebeard" (1984) and the documentary feature "Chekhov in My Life" (1985) about her Russian family in the 1980s.

She was the great-grandniece of the playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). She also appeared in films such as "Zeit der Empfindsamkeit" (1977), "Rausch der Verwandlung" (1988) and in television series such as "Tatort" (since 1970) and "Ein Fall für zwei" (1981-2013). Since the 1990s, Chekhova has made portraits of film colleagues such as Katja Riemann (61), Klaus Maria Brandauer (81) and Michael Ballhaus (1935-2017).

05.04. Peter Sodann (87)

He was best known throughout Germany for his role as "Tatort" detective Bruno Ehrlicher. After an apprenticeship as a toolmaker, the Meissen-born actor studied at the Leipzig Theater Academy.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Bühnen Halle (@buehnenhalle)

Expelled from his studies for anti-state agitation, Peter Sodann spent nine months in prison. After graduating late, director Helene Weigel (1900-1971) brought him to the Berliner Ensemble in 1964. He made his first major feature film "Sansibar oder der letzte Grund" (1987) with Bernhard Wicki (1919-2000).

After engagements at the Berliner Ensemble, in Erfurt, Chemnitz and Magdeburg, he came to Halle. There he created the "new theater" in an old GDR cinema, where he was artistic director until 2005. In 2009, Sodann stood unsuccessfully for election to the office of Federal President as a candidate for the Left Party.

08.04. Peter Higgs (94)

His theory on the mass of elementary particles made the Englishman world-famous. The discovery of the Higgs boson, also popularly known as the "God particle", on 4 July 2012 at the Swiss research center Cern catapulted the theorist into the hall of fame of physics.

With his theory, he provided the answer to an important question about the universe, what gives all existing things their shape and size. For this, Peter Higgs was awarded the Nobel Prize together with the Belgian François Englert (92) in 2013. The publicity-shy atheist strictly rejected the name "God particle" for his discovery.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von CERN (@cern)

10.04. O. J. Simpson (76)

During his active NFL career, O. J. Simpson was a celebrated star. He then made a name for himself as an actor.

But it was a gigantic murder trial that brought him great fame. He was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson (1959-1994) and her new partner. Simpson always maintained his innocence. He was acquitted in 1995 - despite considerable doubt.

Jewelry for childrenThis is what became of the ashes of O. J. Simpson

He was then repeatedly on trial. The football and acting legend was convicted of armed robbery and assault in 2008. He spent nine years in prison before being released on good behavior.

22.04. Michael Verhoeven (85)

The director, producer and actor repeatedly dealt with Germany's Nazi era. Born in Berlin, he often tackled film projects that were difficult, depressing and controversial. His anti-war drama "O.K." (1970), about the rape of a girl by US soldiers in Vietnam, caused a scandal at the 1970 Berlinale and led to the festival being canceled.

With "The White Rose" (1982), the doctor of medicine made the first major film about resistance fighters in the Third Reich. This was followed in 1990 by the award-winning and Oscar-nominated satire "The Terrible Girl" about the attempt to cover up Nazi crimes. In 2016, Michael Verhoeven produced the successful feature film "Welcome to the Hartmanns" with his son Simon (52) as director and his wife Senta Berger (83) in a leading role. He was married to her for 60 years.

30.04. Paul Auster (77)

The son of Jewish immigrants was one of the most successful US writers of his generation. The award-winning author published novels, poems, essays, songs and screenplays.

His international breakthrough came with the "New York Trilogy", which appeared in the individual volumes "City of Glass" (1985), "Drop Shadow" (1986) and "Behind Closed Doors" (1987). With novels such as "Moon over Manhattan" (1989), "Mr. Vertigo" (1994) and "The Book of Illusions" (2002), Paul Auster became a celebrated bestselling author.

His often autobiographical characters are quirky, broken characters in search of themselves. Auster's books have been translated into dozens of languages, and the US author was even more popular in Europe than in his own country.

13.05. Alice Munro (92)

The Canadian writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013 for her short stories. Alice Munro was born on a silver fox farm in a small town in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Alice Munro Festival (@alicemunro_festival)

She was already inventing stories as a little girl. However, Munro did not publish her first collection of stories, "Dance of the Blessed Spirits", until 1968, when she was almost 40 years old. In the decades that followed, the author, who recently suffered from dementia, perfected the genre of short stories. Her last book "Liebes Leben" was published in Germany in 2013.

19.05. Ebrahim Raisi (63)

The Iranian president died in a helicopter crash together with Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian (1964-2024).

The cleric's government was criticized for its arch-conservative values, the suppression of civil rights and the country's severe economic crisis. As the leading candidate of the political hardliners and the preferred candidate and protégé of religious leader Ali Khamenei (85), Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential election in August 2021 with just under 62%.

During his time in office, Tehran deepened its economic and military cooperation with China and Russia, while relations with the West cooled considerably due to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, among other things. As Tehran's chief prosecutor general, Raisi is said to have been responsible for mass executions of political dissidents.

22.05. Rolf Breuer (86)

The former manager shaped the financial center Frankfurt and Deutsche Bank for years. As CEO (1997-2002), he drove forward the internationalization of the company and expanded its capital market business.

Rolf Breuer then headed the bank's Supervisory Board for four years. As Group CEO, "Mister Finanzplatz" turned the bank into one of the leading financial groups internationally.

However, one sentence cost him and his former employer dearly. In an interview in February 2002, Breuer questioned the creditworthiness of media entrepreneur Leo Kirch (1926-2011). His group went under shortly afterwards. Kirch blamed Breuer and Deutsche Bank for this. Years later, the bank reached a three-digit million settlement with Kirch's heirs.

01.06. Ruth Maria Kubitschek (92)

The grande dame of German film and television acting has appeared in over 160 film and television productions in a career spanning more than 60 years. She was on board the ZDF "Traumschiff" (since 1981), played in the ARD "Tatort" and in the ZDF series "Das Erbe der Guldenburgs" (1987-1990).

Ruth Maria Kubitschek achieved cult status alongside Helmut Fischer (1926-1997) as Annette von Soettingen alias "Spatzl" in the TV series "Monaco Franze - Der ewige Stenz" (1983). Together with Helmut Dietl (1944-2015), she filmed the 1985 series "Kir Royal", in which the Munich "Schickeria" was made fun of. The actress, who grew up and trained in the GDR, stayed in the West after an engagement in 1959.

08.06. Klaus Töpfer (85)

The former Federal Environment Minister and CDU politician was regarded as the "green conscience" of the Christian Democrats. Previously Minister of the Environment in Rhineland-Palatinate, the economist succeeded Walter Wallmann (1932-2013, CDU) as Federal Minister of the Environment in 1987 and remained in office until 1994.

As early as 1988, Klaus Töpfer called for a future without nuclear energy and with less fossil fuels. He then represented Germany as Minister of Construction at the UN Habitat Conference in Istanbul in 1996. From 1998 to 2006, Töpfer was Director of the United Nations Environment Program (Unep).

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von CDU Deutschlands (@cdu)

11.06. Françoise Hardy (80)

France's chanson icon appealed to several generations with her delicate voice and sensitive songs. One of her greatest successes was her first song "Tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge". The song about boys and girls her age looking for love made her a star in 1962 at the age of 18. In Germany, the singer became famous with "Frag den Abendwind" and "Ich sag' ja".

The tall Frenchwoman was considered a style icon in the 1960s. Françoise Hardy wore creations by renowned designers and counted Mick Jagger (81) and Bob Dylan (83) among her admirers.

18.06. Anouk Aimée (92)

The Frenchwoman was considered one of the last film divas of her generation. Born Nicole Dreyfus in Paris, Anouk Aimée starred in more than 50 films, including Fellini's (1920-1993) "La Dolce Vita" (1959) and "Eight and a Half" (1963) alongside Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996).

The award-winning romantic film "A Man and a Woman" (1966) by French director Claude Lelouch (87) brought her international renown. She made "The Model" with Jacques Demy (1931-1990) in 1969 and "Prêt-à-Porter" (1994) with Robert Altman (1925-2006).

Her film partners included Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli (1925-2020), Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999) and Catherine Deneuve (81). She had a lifelong professional partnership with Jean-Louis Trintignant (1930-2022).

20.06. Donald Sutherland (88)

Since the 1960s, the multi-award-winning Canadian actor has appeared in more than 150 films and TV productions. The war classic "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) and the military satire "M.A.S.H." (1970) were his first international successes.

In 1971, Donald Sutherland shone as a private detective in the psychological thriller "Klute" alongside Jane Fonda. In the 2010s, the father of five played the unscrupulous President Snow in the "Tribute to Panem" blockbuster series.

In Hollywood, he was immortalized with a star on the Walk of Fame in 2011. In 2018, he received an honorary Oscar for his life's work.

12.07. Bill Viola (73)

The pioneer of video art has made an impression since the 1970s with his cycles of life, death and rebirth. The US artist called his pictures "visual poems".

His "Nantes Triptych", a triptych of three video screens showing a woman giving birth, a blurred man floating in the water and his mother on the deathbed of her nursing home, became famous.

In 2016, Bill Viola created the work "Mary" about Mary, Mother of Sorrows, as a permanent installation for St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In 2011, he received the Praemium Imperiale from the Japanese Imperial Family, the world's highest award for the visual arts.

22.07. John Mayall (90)

The British blues musician and songwriter was considered one of the most influential musicians of his genre. Over the decades, the band he founded in 1962, The Bluesbreakers, featured stars such as Eric Clapton (79) and later Fleetwood Mac members Peter Green (1946-2020), John McVie (79) and Mick Fleetwood (77). The debut album "John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton" (1966) became a classic.

The influential singer, guitarist, harmonica player, keyboardist and bandleader continued to tour into old age. John Mayall was awarded the Order Of The British Empire at Buckingham Palace in 2005 and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.

27.07. Wolfgang Rihm (72)

Born in Karlsruhe, he was one of the most important contemporary composers. The multi-award-winning world star left behind well over 500 works, including operas and large orchestral works, chamber music, music theater and vocal pieces.

Wolfgang Rihm celebrated his breakthrough in 1974 with the orchestral piece "Morphonie". His most important works include the operas "Die Eroberung von Mexico", "Die Hamletmaschine", "Dionysos", "Jakob Lenz", "Proserpina" and "Das Gehege".

In 1985, Rihm succeeded his teacher Eugen Werner Velte (1923-1984) as Professor of Composition at the Karlsruhe University of Music.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (@hfm_karlsruhe)

12.08. Richard Lugner (91)

For more than 30 years, the Austrian building contractor has celebrated his attendance at the Vienna Opera Ball with famous company. This year he had hired Elvis Presley's (1935-1977) widow Priscilla Presley (79), in 2023 it was US actress Jane Fonda (87).

In the 1960s, Richard Lugner was very successful in Vienna as a building contractor, particularly with the revitalization of old buildings. In 1990, he opened his Viennese shopping center "Lugner City" with more than 100 stores. In 1998 and 2016, Austria's society lion ran unsuccessfully for the office of Federal President. In the reality soap "Die Lugners", "Mörtel" revealed his private life on television in around 100 episodes from 2003.

18.08. Alain Delon (88)

Hat pulled low over his face, collar turned up, stoic expression: this is how the world discovered the Frenchman in "Ice Cold Angel" (1967) by Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-1973). His beautiful face fascinated women and men alike.

In more than 80 films such as "Only the Sun Was a Witness" (1960), "The Leopard" (1963), "Borsalino" (1970) and "Endstation Schafott" (1973), Alain Delon usually shone as a smart, unscrupulous lone warrior. With his colleague Romy Schneider (1938-1982), the heartthrob was one of the most glamorous couples of the 1960s, both professionally and privately.

In old age, he made a name for himself as a sympathizer of the far-right Front National party (later Rassemblement National).

24.08. Christoph Daum (70)

The successful football coach was one of the most enigmatic figures in German professional football. Always quick with his tongue, he was known as the "loudspeaker of the Bundesliga", but also as a motivational artist.

He led VfB Stuttgart to the German championship in 1992. He was runner-up twice with 1. FC Köln and three times with Bayer Leverkusen. He won national titles as a coach in Turkey and Austria. The sports science graduate also coached the Romanian national team.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von VfB Stuttgart (@vfb)

Christoph Daum's appointment as coach of the German national team came to an end in October 2000 due to a cocaine affair.

08.09. Friedrich Schorlemmer (80)

The theologian was one of the harshest critics of the regime in the former GDR. In the fall of 1989, he was one of the key protagonists of the peaceful revolution that ended SED rule.

Exposed to reprisals in the GDR, the native of Wittenberg caught up on his A-levels at evening school and studied Protestant theology. His slogan "Swords to plowshares" became the motto of the opposition GDR peace movement. At the beginning of November 1989, he called for non-violence at a large demonstration on Alexanderplatz in East Berlin.

Friedrich Schorlemmer was later a critical supporter of German unification. He was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

09.09. Caterina Valente (93)

The Italian singer with a French passport brought exotic flair to Germany's economic miracle years and made an international career.

The daughter of an artist couple and multi-talented singer with a versatile voice sang chansons, jazz and hits in German, Italian, French, English and several other languages. She sang evergreens such as "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe" (1954), "Tschau, Tschau, Bambina" (1959), "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu Strandbikini" (1960) and "Quando, quando, quando" (1962). Caterina Valente made her last public appearance in 2005, when she received an honorary "Bambi".

13.09. Wolfgang Gerhardt (80)

The former FDP chairman and doctor of education began his political career in his native Hesse. Wolfgang Gerhardt was a member of the state parliament in Wiesbaden from 1978 to 1994. In 1987, he became Minister of Science and Deputy Prime Minister. In 1994, the liberal politician entered the Bundestag.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung (@stiftungfuerdiefreiheit)

The man of quiet tones did not achieve his goal of becoming foreign minister because the red-green party won the 2002 federal elections. He was Federal Chairman of the FDP from 1995 to 2001 and Chairman of the FDP parliamentary group from 1998 to 2006. He handed over both posts to Guido Westerwelle (1961-2016) and headed the FDP-affiliated Friedrich Naumann Foundation until 2018.

27.09. Maggie Smith (89)

The British actress and two-time Oscar winner was known worldwide as sharp-tongued Violet Crawley in the TV series 'Downton Abbey' (2010-2015) and stern principal Minerva McGonagall in the 'Harry Potter' films (2001-2011). Her unmistakable trademarks were her sarcastic comments and her ironic, melancholy look.

In 1969, she received an Oscar for her leading role in "The Best Years of Miss Jean Brodie" and in 1978 for her supporting role in "The Crazy California Hotel". Maggie Smith was knighted by the British Royal Family in 1990 and made a Companion of Honor in 2014.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Rupert Grint (@rupertgrint)

28.09. Kris Kristofferson (88)

The US country singer was considered one of the most important songwriters of all time. His songs were sung by music legends such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022), Joan Baez (83), Willie Nelson (91), Janis Joplin (1943-1970) and Ray Charles (1930-2004). The grandson of Swedish immigrants wrote one hit after another, including "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night".

As a singing poet, Kris Kristofferson embodied the broken attitude to life of the Vietnam generation with his social criticism and melancholy. As an actor, Kristofferson won a Golden Globe in 1977 alongside Barbra Streisand (82) for the role of a dissolute rock star in "A Star is Born".

16.10. Liam Payne (31)

The singer became a pop star as a member of the British boy band One Direction ("What Makes You Beautiful"). Founded in 2010 as part of the British casting show "The X Factor", the band sold 70 million albums, filled large stadiums worldwide and was adored by girls in particular.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von One Direction (@onedirection)

Since splitting up in 2016, Liam Payne has been active as a solo artist like his former bandmates Niall Horan (31), Harry Styles (30), Louis Tomlinson (32) and Zayn Malik (31). On March 1, he released his first single in three years with "Teardrops".

The musician died in Buenos Aires under the influence of drugs after falling from the third floor of a hotel.

20.10. Fethullah Gülen (83)

The Turkish Islamic scholar, who had been living in exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, was public enemy number one for the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (70).

The two were allied until their public rift in 2013. Erdoğan saw Fethullah Gülen as the alleged mastermind behind the bloody coup attempt in 2016, which left more than 200 people dead, something the cleric has always denied. Erdoğan had repeatedly demanded that the USA extradite him.

A network founded by Gülen aims to win Muslims over to a pious way of life through educational institutions, media and association work. It is active in many countries.

27.10. Edzard Reuter (96)

The mathematician and lawyer was Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG from 1987 to 1995. The new headquarters in Stuttgart were built under his leadership. The manager helped the Stuttgart-based company to establish its own aerospace subsidiary, Dasa.

But Edzard Reuter's vision failed. Daimler returned to its core business. What remained was a loss of billions. Afterwards, the son of former Berlin mayor Ernst Reuter (1889-1953) set up a foundation named after him and his wife Helga, which promotes the peaceful coexistence of people from different cultures.

03.11. Quincy Jones (91)

Whether as a producer, singer or composer, the US American was one of the greats of the music industry. He rose from the gangs in his native Chicago to become one of the first black stars of the US music business.

Quincy Jones worked with Michael Jackson (1958-2009), Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), Stevie Wonder (74) and Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), among others. With Jackson's "Thriller" in 1982, he produced the most successful album of all time.

Publication not permittedEx-policeman finds 12 unknown songs by Michael Jackson

The 28-time Grammy winner ran a record label, composed film music, wrote books, brought feature films to the big screen and developed TV series. Together with the pop elite, he produced the song "We Are the World" in 1985, which raised 50 million US dollars for the fight against hunger in Africa.

07.11. Jürgen Becker (92)

The list of awards that the poet has won for his literary work ranges from the Bremen Literature Prize in 1987 to the Peter Huchel Prize in 1994 and the Georg Büchner Prize in 2014. In addition to his work as a writer, Jürgen Becker has also worked as a publishing editor and journalist.

His prose volume "Felder" (1964) made the Cologne native known as an author of experimental literature. Reunification was a central theme for him. Even before the fall of the Berlin Wall, he had already commemorated Thuringia in 1988 in his "Gedicht von der wiedervereinigten Landschaft" (Poem of the Reunified Landscape), and in 1993 he published his poetry collection "Foxtrott im Erfurter Stadion" (1993).

26.11. Karin Baal (84)

She was one of the biggest names in post-war film history: the hit movie "Die Halbstarken" made the Berlin-born actress a legend in 1956, even at a young age - alongside Horst Buchholz (1933-2003), for example. In the role of the saucy Sissy, Karin Baal embodied a very self-confident woman for the time.

Baal was later often described as the German answer to Brigitte Bardot (90), played in Edgar Wallace films or in works by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945-1982), such as "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1980), "Lili Marleen" (1981) and "Lola" (1981). She was also often seen in guest roles in popular TV productions such as "Derrick", "Tatort", "Das Traumschiff", "Liebling Kreuzberg" (1986-1998), "Die Schwarzwaldklinik" (1985-1989) and "Polizeiruf 110".

12.12. Clifford Lilley (73)

Clifford Lilley was not only a stylist, but also a formative figure in the Swiss fashion scene. Born in South Africa, he was already fascinated by Zurich on his first visit. With his charismatic manner and keen sense of style, the man from Zurich made a lasting impression on both the industry and his fans.

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Luca Stefano Papini Jr. (@lucapapini.ch)

Claudia Lässer, CEO of Entertainment Programm AG, which also owns blue News, also remembers her friend: "Clifford was an absolute ray of sunshine, a permanent optimist with a great sense of fashion and style - and for people. He had a huge heart. I will miss him very much."

18.12. Hermes Phettberg (72)

He shone with wit and mused with ruthless candor about his sex fantasies, in which tight jeans and a cane played a central role. Late-night talk show host Harald Schmidt (67) called him a "total work of art". RTL wanted his show, but the deal fell through.

Then it became very quiet around one of the most dazzling Austrians. Isolated, impoverished and marked by strokes, Hermes Phettberg became a sad anti-hero in a 2011 film documentary.

20.12. Kurt Laurenz Metzler (83)

Born in Balgach SG, Kurt Laurenz Metzler studied at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts and trained as a sculptor, initially working with stone, iron, metal and bronze. From the 1970s onwards, he integrated mechanical components into his sculptures and created the "Motormenschen". He later added the series "Grossstadtneurotiker", "Luftmenschen" and "Zeitungsleser".

Metzler's sculptures are installed in public and private spaces in Zurich, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Siena, Milan, Assisi, Pontedera and Pisa.