As part of the comedian duo Badesalz, Gerd Knebel became known beyond Hesse. With the Hessian dialect, Badesalz made it to Rock am Ring.
dpa | The bath salt comedian Gerd Knebel is dead. He died on Saturday at the age of 72, as his friend and comedy partner Henni Nachtsheim told the German Press Agency. Knebel “left us with dignity and peace surrounded by his loved ones after a serious case of cancer,” said a statement published jointly by Knebel’s family and Nachtsheim.
Knebel became known in the 1980s as a singer with the band Flatsch. He later founded the comedy duo Badesalz with Nachtsheim. “He didn’t lose his sense of humor until the end and made us laugh even in our grief. He is and remains a great loss to us, and our hearts are incredibly heavy,” the statement said. Knebel was the father of two children and lived in southern Hesse.
Duo with cult status
As part of the Badesalz duo, which made Hessian dialect and humor known nationwide, Knebel probably celebrated his greatest successes. Bath salt became popular throughout Germany primarily thanks to two television series “Och Joh” in 1990 on ARD and “Comedy Stories” in 2000 on Sat.1.
In 1991, her second record “Not without my Pappa” was the first German spoken record to reach a place in the music charts since 1983. In 1998 Badesalz received the Echo record industry award. Badesalz also appeared on “Rock am Ring” and “Wetten, dass…?” on. At the end of 2024, Knebel and Nachtsheim released a New Year’s Eve song called Badesalz.
Events canceled for health reasons
Most recently, Knebel canceled events for health reasons, as can be seen on his homepage. Knebel was active in several bands and performed solo with changing programs. A solo program was called “Weggugge” – it was about looking away as a possible survival strategy. He released numerous albums.
Knebel was also an author, “Friendship in the Offside,” a novel about an unusual friendship, was published in 2024. In 2018, in “Wörld of Dirtbags,” Knebel took stock of the world’s big and small “dirtbags” who “make life difficult.” He had previously celebrated success with a solo program of the same name.
Together for a free press
As a cooperative, we belong to our readers. And our journalism is not only 100% non-corporate, but also accessible free of charge. We make all articles freely available, without a paywall. Especially in these times, classifications and information must be accessible to everyone. Our readers don’t have to pay anything, but they know that critical, independent journalism doesn’t emerge from nothing. We are very grateful for that. So that we can continue to do our journalism tomorrow, we need more support. Our next goal: 50,000 – and with your participation we can do it. Set an example for the taz and for the future of our journalism. With just 5 euros you are there!
Support now