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Dubbed the "Sinatra of the East" by the local
press while on tour in Germany in 1967, Gott was voted the
nation's most popular singer 42 times. His original songs and
covers of Western pop hits helped him sell tens of millions of
records.
Gott's wife, Ivana, announced his death on Wednesday on the
singer's official website. He had announced in September he was
battling acute leukemia. Tributes flowed in from Czech
celebrities and Prime Minister Andrej Babis proposed a state
funeral for Gott.
The singer gained international notice in 1968 with his song
"Lady Carneval," which won a gold medal at a music contest in
Brazil. He built up a worldwide following during his 60-year
career but was most popular in Germany and former Communist
eastern European countries.
Unlike many other Czech artists, Gott performed at home and
abroad after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion. His signing of the
so-called "Anti-Charter" opposing the dissident Charter 77
statement also did little to dent his popularity.
Born on July 14, 1939, in Pilsen, Gott trained as an electrician
before he began singing in cafes in Prague in the late 1950s. He
was eventually admitted to the Prague Conservatory to study
opera and got his break when hired at the avant-garde Semafor
theater in 1963.
Gott also performed in the west during the communist era. He
spent six months in Las Vegas in 1967 and later returned to the
United States, including two concerts at Carnegie Hall in 2000
and 2005.
In recent years, health problems had slowed the singer, but he
promised to keep performing despite his illnesses. Gott is
survived by two adult daughters from former relationships and
two children born in 2006 and 2008 with his current wife.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn)
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