Austrian singer and musician Falco was born as Johann Hans Holzer on 19th February 1957 in the capital city of Vienna, and passed away on 6th February 1998.
Falco’s education started in a private school and then continued in a public one 4 years later. He began showing interest in music at a very young age and was in fact gifted with a piano on his 4th birthday, followed by a record player when he turned 5. When he was 16, Falco enrolled with the local music and arts university, but he became depressed and soon dropped out. His mum wanted him to begin an apprenticeship but likewise, this did not last long. Instead, he joined the military service for 8 months.
During the 70s, he played the bass guitar in various bands and then adopted the name of ‘Falco’ and performed in his own unique style, with short hair, suits and Ray-Ban sunglasses. In 1981, he was offered a contract and released his debut solo single ‘Ganz Wien’. The single that followed named ‘Der Kommissar’, was a number one hit in his native Austria as well as in Germany, and was in the Top 10 in other European countries. The following year, his debut album came out and reached first place in Austria.
Falco’s second album was released 2 years later, and reached number one in his native Austria only. Since until then his songs were only in German, Falco began to write lyrics in English with the help of 2 Dutch brothers who were music producers. His career breakthrough arrived in 1986 with the release of his third album which featured the number one international hit single ‘Rock Me Amadeus’, followed by the Top 20 hit single ‘Vienna Calling’ and number one hit ‘Jeanny’.
During his 23-year career, Falco had 28 albums and 38 singles. He passed away on 6th February 1998 i.e. just 13 days before his 41st birthday from grave injuries caused by a car accident whilst he was living in the Dominican Republic. Three more albums were released after his demise, as well as 2 movies named ‘Sugar Town’ and ‘Damn It, We’re Still Alive!’. Moreover, formula one driver Niki Lauda named one of his Boeing aeroplanes after the singer, whilst a Vienna suburb restaurant keeps one of its tables permanently reserved for Falco.
*Image: no infringement intended. Source: theapricity.com