Departures of note

Michael Thilo, born Michael Tilo Amft in Dresden in 1944, was a German singer best remembered for performing the original title song of the beloved children's audio drama series 'Benjamin Blümchen', a tune generations of listeners can still sing by heart. He trained as an auto mechanic before turning to music, and in East Germany released songs such as 'Barbara' and recorded the duet 'Ich denk an den Winter' with Aurora Lacasa, also writing music and lyrics for other performers. In the 1970s he remained in West Berlin during a guest engagement and continued his career under the name Michael Thilo, appearing on television and releasing records ranging from Schlager to singer-songwriter material. He performed regularly at the Berlin Zitadelle until 2009, gradually withdrawing from the music business afterwards. He died on 3 March 2026 at the age of 81.