Overview
- He died Thursday evening at home with family, his wife told the dpa, and no further medical details were disclosed.
- His signature works include the brief, instantly recognizable ‘Tatort’ opener introduced in 1970 and film scores for Das Boot (1981) and The NeverEnding Story (1984).
- He founded the jazz‑fusion band Passport in 1971 and performed more than 5,000 concerts over roughly 50 years, with early bandmate Udo Lindenberg paying tribute and calling him a mentor and “Jazz‑Meister.”
- Tributes poured in from public figures, with President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier calling him a great jazz legend and Bavaria’s Markus Söder praising a true music legend who touched millions.
- He was born in Berlin in 1936, lived in Icking near Munich, married Inge Beck in 1960, and had three children.