Tuesday's death of the most popular Czech singer Karel Gott affected the whole Czech Republic. The multiple golden nightingale, who'd celebrated his 80th birthday in July, succumbed to leukemia which he had been fighting for a long time. He will be remembered with love and respect not only by his loved ones, but also by the famous personalities who commemorated him on social networks. And what did the stars write about the maestro?
"I can put myself into the situation of Kája's whole family - both Ivanka's and that of the girls who were with him all this time. It is a huge loss for everyone here and abroad. The world has lost a wonderful man, an excellent singer and colleague. I remember him with love and I always will. He was a very kind, sensitive person, always willing to help anyone who needed it. I'm deeply sorry about this. I remember all of our performances together, whether it was concerts or TV shows... I will miss Kája very much,"
"The year was 2014 and we'd just finished photoshooting for the cover page of the magazine Reflex with the topic “Whom young Czechs respect” with the maestro. After the photo shoot, I approached Karel and wanted to give him my CD as a keepsake, but he refused, saying that he would prefer to buy it himself and support a young artist, and he smiled. A few weeks later I went to the CD store on Wenceslas Square and as I was walking through the shelves, the salesman tapped at my shoulder and said, "Mr. Gott was here recently to buy your record." My knees got a little shaky a I felt completely overjoyed that he really was such a cool dude and devoted so much of his time to some young whippersnapper. I will never forget this day with you. I have tears in my eyes. Rest in peace, maestro."
"That's terribly sad news... His songs can be heard from every corner today. Thank you for your words of advice, friendly acceptance each time we met, for your insight and a dose of humor while we were practicing the duet for your sold out arena at your home. Maestro, I will never forget what ideal of humility and professionalism you were. It was an honor to meet you, to sing with you and for you. I extend my condolences to the whole Gott family, a lot of strength and peace of mind in these hard times."
“It's very sad and it's a big loss for all of us. I was lucky enough to work with Karel for years, and we've experienced a lot of fun and beautiful moments together. He was always fun to be around. He was entertaining, social and never negative.
I am glad that I had the honor and luck to write so many songs for Karel and that we could sing the duet "To stárnutí zrádné" (That Treacherous Aging) together, which I composed for his sixtieth birthday in cooperation with the lyricist Mr. Zdenek Borovec. I will always remember him fondly and with hope that his voice and his songs will live on for a very long time."
"Dear Karel, what a paradox!!! I got out of the studio and the first message from the 96 in my inbox that I opened was, of course, the one from my wife. She wrote to let me know that you were gone. But Karel, you can never be gone. Not from the hearts and memories of millions of people, who will never forget who Karel Gott was. With tears in my eyes, I confess that I will always be glad I had the chance to know you personally, and the honor to spend time in your company. Say hello from me to the other Gott, I'm sure you're up there with him."
The golden nightingale Lucie Bílá, who enjoyed a long friendship with Karel Gott, posted the following status on her Instagram: