Farewell to the stage: This year some stars announced the end of their careers. With some, the fans can still experience a few performances in 2023, others have already had their last concert. Who is this about? A small overview of the pensioners in the music industry.
In 1976 Jürgen Drews (77) celebrated his breakthrough with his hit “Ein Bett im Kornfeld”. In July 2022, the pop singer surprisingly announced the end of his career. “Since I’m at an age when others have long been retired, I also said to myself: At some point it’ll be good,” said the singer on the show “The big hit beach party 2022 – it starts again!” (The first) by Florian Silbereisen (41). He made the decision together with his wife Ramona Drews (49). The 77-year-old explained that he wanted to say goodbye before he collapsed. Last year, the singer made it public that he suffered from polyneuropathy, a nervous disease that limits the ability to move.
At the beginning of October, Jürgen Drews gave his last live concert at the Musikherbst in the Wilder Kaiser. According to the organizers, thousands of fans came from all over Europe to cheer on Drews as he played hits like “A Bed in the Cornfield”, “When the Sparklers Are Burning” or “Back Everything Under Control”. But that’s not all: “The Big Hit” by Drews will be broadcast on January 14, 2023 on the first. The singer will then be on stage one last time and perform his old hits. Florian Silbereisen takes over the moderation. Some companions will musically say goodbye to the “King of Mallorca” in the show.
She is also leaving the hit world: Vicky Leandros (70) announced in November that her “I love life” tour should be the last in autumn 2023 and that she wanted to retire afterwards. “I’m so excited to take my audience on another musical journey through time to celebrate life and music together,” Leandros said in a press release about her big anniversary and farewell year. The tour has now been expanded to five more cities and six concerts “due to the great demand”, according to a Facebook post, among other things. Her last appearance is scheduled for spring 2024.
The singer has sold over 55 million records and won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972. “I think it’s time to stop,” said the singer of “Bild”. As a reason for this consideration she gives: “I turned 70 in the summer. That’s when you start to think about the finitude of life. At some point it has to be over.” She wanted to stop on her own terms and under no circumstances “go on stage with a walking stick”.
“Jenseits von Eden” interpreter Nino de Angelo (59) is also giving up his career. “I’m ending my career,” announced the hit star in July 2022 in the “Bild” newspaper. It should be over in two years. Before that, however, the artist will release an album. “It will be released in 2023. It’s about God and the world in the truest sense of the word. After reading this book I feel like I’ve said everything I wanted to say.” A tour is expected to follow in 2024, “after that it’s over,” said de Angelo.
He wants to spend time with his family, “I finally want to live without stress”. Nino de Angelo is struggling with health problems. In 2020 he announced that he was suffering from the incurable lung disease COPD. “The illness affects me a lot,” he admitted in 2021 in an interview with the news agency spot on news.
Ute Freudenberg (66) announced the end of her career in November. “Next year’s tour will definitely be the last tour of my career,” said the singer in an interview with MDR’s “Meine Schlagerwelt”. The concert series “50 Years Live – The Farewell Tour” starts on October 27, 2023 in Erfurt. According to the musician, the album “Stark wie nie”, which she is currently working on, will be the last of her career. In February 2022, the singer made her Parkinson’s disease public on the MDR talk show “Riverboat”. She was diagnosed in 2018.
