Overview
- The singer’s son, Enrico Amft, confirmed to the Münchner Merkur that Michael Thilo died on March 3, 2026 at age 81.
- The death was first shared earlier by the Facebook fan page Kofferradio and became widely reported after the family confirmation on October 1, 2026.
- Thilo recorded the original Benjamin Blümchen title melody in the late 1970s and that version was replaced in the 1980s after a rights sale but remains beloved by many listeners.
- Born Michael Tilo Amft in Dresden on September 22, 1944, he made his first radio recording for the DDR label Amiga in 1969, moved to the West in the 1970s, performed until about 2009, and lived his final years in Guttenberg, Kulmbach.
- His son says the famous title song was a private minor note in family life and that he keeps finding previously little-known recordings, prompting renewed interest in Thilo’s broader musical legacy.