Suffered from Parkinson's disease

Bavarian dialect bard Fredl Fesl is dead

Fredl Fesl during a performance in 2005(Bild: Wikipedia/Dieter Schnöpf (CC BY-SA 3.0))

The Bavarian singer-songwriter and dialect bard Fredl Fesl is dead. He died on Tuesday after years of serious illness, his wife Monika told the news agency dpa on Wednesday, confirming information from several German media.

Fesl was 76 years old. According to his wife, he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for many years. She described the death as "redemption" for her husband. Most recently, he had lived in seclusion with his wife Monika in Upper Bavaria.

Became famous with wordplay in dialect
The musician from the Bavarian Forest became famous beyond the Free State with his sometimes biting puns in Bavarian dialect. Fesl often played the guitar, but also the tuba and horn. The "Königsjodler" is considered one of his most famous works. People sometimes burst out laughing when he led them into the next number with long, hilarious monologues.

His illness prevented him from performing his beloved live shows 20 years ago. However, he continued to perform on stage until his health failed in 2006. He also made his illness public in the media. "It's very hard to be so restricted in all your abilities and things you enjoyed doing because of your illness," wrote Fesl on his 75th birthday.

Career began by chance
According to Fesl himself, his career began by chance - he saved on admission to Munich cabaret theaters by bringing his guitar with him. When artists were absent, he was persuaded to perform.

Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder reacted with great sadness to the bard's death. "He was a Bavarian original with a subtle sense of humor and made people laugh and think in equal measure," Söder wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"As a versatile artist in words and music, he was one of the pioneers of Bavarian musical cabaret as we know and love it today." Fesl endured his serious illness, which he struggled with for a long time, with admirable patience, dignity and his characteristic composure. "He became a role model for many people here too," said Söder.