Lotti Krekel (1941-2023) is dead. As the “WDR” learned from family circles, the well-known folk actress and singer died on April 11 at the age of 81. No information is currently available on the cause of death.
Since 1958 Krekel belonged to the ensemble of the Millowitsch Theater in Cologne, and in the following decade appeared in plays such as “The Spanish Fly” alongside Willy (1909-1999) and Lucy Millowitsch (1905-1990). Since numerous stage performances were also broadcast nationwide on television, Krekel quickly gained nationwide fame.
From 1969, Krekel also made a name for herself as a pop singer. The listeners were particularly enthusiastic about their carnival songs such as the classics “I’ll give you a couple of blossoms” or “Ne visit the zoo”.
Krekel has also appeared in numerous TV productions over the years. She played one of her best-known roles in the television series “Die Anrheiner”, which was broadcast from 1998 to 2011. Krekel appeared in almost 400 episodes of the WDR series and often played alongside her sister Hildegard Krekel (1952-2013), who died in 2013.
Privately, Krekel found happiness with her colleague Ernst Hilbich (92), with whom she lived for 27 years before the wedding bells rang in 2003.
This Tuesday evening, WDR is changing its program on the occasion of Lotti Krekel’s death. In the early morning hours of April 12, at 1:10 a.m., an episode of the series “Die Anrheiner” with the title “Abfahr und Aus Bremst” (2010) will be broadcast. This is followed at 1:40 a.m. by the episode “Arme Hunde” of the series “Ein Fall für die Anrheiner” from 2013.
On Friday, April 14, at 11:30 p.m., following the “Kölner Treff”, an episode “Rooms free!” from 1998, in which Lotti Krekel was a guest.
