Karel Gott.

Karel Gott first trained as a mechanic before his birth on 14 July 1939 in Pilsen now Plzeň, Czech Republic, then part of the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia. He later performed as an amateur singer during the 1950s and entered competitions, leading him to study at the Prague Conservatory.

Gott’s breakthrough came in 1962 with the Czech version of Moon River, titled Měsíční řeka. He released over 100 albums and 100 compilations, selling an estimated 50-100 million records globally. In the German-speaking market, he sold 23 million records. In 2000, he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. He also appeared in films such as Three Wishes for Cinderella 1973 and Bad Company 2002. In 2008, he collaborated with German rapper Bushido on a duet Für immer jung.

Gott married Ivana Macháčková later Ivana Gottová in January 2008 in Las Vegas. He had four daughters: Dominika Gottová, Lucie Kolářová, Charlotte Gottová, and Nelly Sofie Gottová, from three different women. His youngest child was born in April 2006. He was an amateur painter and enjoyed a quiet family life.

Karel Gott’s 41 Czech Nightingale awards, the last in 2017, mark his dominance as the most successful male singer in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. In 2009 he received the Czech Medal of Merit, and posthumously the Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion. His music continues to inspire Czech and Slovak artists and is widely played across Central Europe.