Since the departure of the Czech singing legend Karel Gott († 80) passed six years on October 1, 2025. During his long career, many musicians took turns with him, but among those who stayed with him for 40 years was slávik’s last band leader and pianist Pavel Větrovec (76). The one for described how the master was sorry for the concert, which he had to cancel when his health was gradually failing him.
He last heard him sing on July 24, 2019, at a rehearsal for the Venice Night festival, where his wife Ivana (49) brought him straight from the hospital. “I knew that this festival would probably be his last performance in his life. At all costs, he wanted to manage it and not disappoint the fans. But he was very sick. Ivanka begged him on her knees, we begged him to cancel the performance. But he kept trying, but he left earlier.” mentions Větrovec.
But when he didn’t listen to those closest to him, fate took over. Gott felt so bad that day that he had to cancel the performance willy-nilly. He was so determined about the situation that when he was on the phone with the conductor, he kept coming back to it and doubting whether he had made the right decision.
“I told him yes a hundred times, but he was extremely sad. In his current state of health, it would be a really big gamble. Karel canceled the concert for the first time in his life. It must have been extremely depressing for him. He was very much looking forward to it and was convinced until the last moment that it would work. Especially when he knew it was the last time,” he added.
Karel Gott was born on July 14, 1939 in Pilsen. After moving to Prague, he trained as an electrician at ČKD. His father always insisted that he learn an honest trade. His mother supported his love for music. In 1957, he started singing as an amateur, the year after that he participated in the Hledáme nové talenty competition in Prague’s Slavonic House.
He was a success with the audience, but not with the expert jury. He began performing regularly in the famous Prague cafes Alfa and Vltava. In 1960, he took exams for the conservatory, studied singing with Konstantin Karenin.
His first significant success was his participation in the Czechoslovak television program Hledám písničku pro déní den, where he sang together with Vlasta Průchová the song Až nám budo somky. He recorded Písnička pro Martina with Karel Vlach’s orchestra. The Golden Nightingale appeared in the results of the poll already in the first year in 1962. Waldemar Matuška won, Gotto was in 49th place, he received three votes. He already won the poll a year later.
In 1963, he got an engagement at the Semafor Theater in Prague. The first performance in which he performed was Zuzana is not home for anyone. Gott sang three songs in it — Sleigh, Snowy Eyes and Polite Woody. The song Snowy Eyes became the biggest hit of 1963. In Semafor, he met the brothers Ladislav and Jiří Štaidlovci, in 1965 they left to found their own Apollo Theatre. The first premiere was a program called Pilgrimage for Two.
In 1965, Supraphon released the first LP called Zpívá Karel Gott. In June 1966, he competed at the Bratislava Lyra with the songs I have a fairy-tale house by Vieroslav Matušík and Póšli to dál, composed for him by his colleague from the Apollo Theater Jaromír Klempíř. The Fairytale House won the Golden Lyre. Artia released Gott’s first record abroad under the name The Golden Voice Of Prague, which was a success mainly in Germany.
Karel Gott and his group gave a concert in the Czechoslovak pavilion at the world exhibition in Montreal, from June 1967 he then performed with Ladislav Štaidl’s group at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, on the stage where Elvis Presley also sang. In March 1968, he represented Austria at the Eurovision Grand Prix with the song Tausend Fenster, composed by Udo Jürgens. In October 1968, he won a gold medal at the Zlatý kohút festival in Rio de Janeiro for the song by Karel Svoboda and Jiří Štaidl, Lady Karneval.
His popularity continued to grow, as evidenced by record sales and the Golden Nightingale survey, in which he was always first in the years 1969 – 1982. On May 3, 1977, he was awarded the title of meritorious artist for his exceptional artistic activity, and on April 30, 1985, he received the title of national artist.
Gott was the holder of 22 Czechoslovakian and 20 Czech Golden Nightingales, owned more than 60 gold records, seven diamond records, recorded approximately 2,600 songs. On January 7, 2008, he married Ivana Macháčková in the American city of Las Vegas. who bore him two daughters, Nelly Sofia and Charlotte Ella. Gott had two adult daughters Dominika and Lucka from an extramarital relationship.
