Rudi Carrell, who represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1960, died on Friday afternoon at the age of 71. He suffered from lung cancer since early 2005.
Rudi Carrell was born in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, on 19th December 1934 as Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar. After his first televised show in the Netherlands,the Rudi-Carrell-Show and his participation in the contest, he went on to be a very succesful showmaster in Germany. Am laufenden Band, Rudis Tagesshow and Herzblattwere among the most succesful game shows in the 70s and 80s. In 2001, he was knighted by the Dutch Queen Beatrix. He received several awards, amongst others the Goldene Kamera for his lifework, which was also his last appearance on stage. Furthermore, he was also succesful as an actor (Tante Trude aus Buxtehude)and as a singer (Wann wird es mal wieder richtig Sommer?).
Back in 1960, Rudi Carrell sang Wat een geluk for the Netherlands, finishing 12th (second from last) with two points.
