Sad news from Germany: singer Jürgen Marcus, who represented Luxembourg at Eurovision 1976, has passed away at age 69.

Jürgen Marcus was a big star in his native Germany, especially in the “schlager” genre, and had many hits in the 1970’s. Born as Jürgen Beumer in Herne between Bochum and Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, he had hits such as Eine neue Liebe ist wie ein neues Leben and Ein Festival der Liebe. He was a regular guest in popular music TV-shows and appeared in movies.

The artist gradually said farewell to the music industry from the 1980’s onward, although he did release various albums in the 2000’s, the last one (Zeitreif) in 2011. He remained a household name in the schlager scene, having many fans.

Jürgen Marcus officially stopped his career in 2017, as he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He passed away due to the illness in the middle of May 2018 in Munich, a month before his 70th birthday.

His long-time partner and manager Nikolaus Fischer stated:

With a heavy heart I have to announce that Jürgen Marcus has lost the battle against the chronic lung disease COPD, and passed away in mid-May in our mutual home in Munich. It was his emphatic wish to be interred in silence. To be able to mourn in quietness and dignity, I politely ask to refrain from questions and to respect this decision.

At Eurovision

Jürgen Marcus first attempted to represent Germany at Eurovision 1975, participating in the national selection with the song Ein Lied zieht hinaus in die Welt (“A song goes out into the world”).

In 1976, he partook in Luxembourg’s national selection and won, representing the country with the song Chansons pour ceux qui s’aiment (“Songs for those who love each other”). At the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 in The Hague, the Netherlands, he eventually placed 14th with 17 points.

ESCToday.com sends sincere condolences to Jürgen Marcus’ partner, family, friends and fans. He will always be remembered as a part of the Eurovision family.