Overview

• A duet with Jürgen Drews, who retired in 2022 due to polyneuropathy, marked a rare onstage return that Howard Carpendale said could be their last together.
• Wayne Carpendale’s surprise appearance and a documentary excerpt moved his father to tears.
• The broadcast drew a 16.3% market share and was the most-watched program of the night, with catch-up available in the ZDF-Mediathek.
• Giovanni Zarrella later shared that he had told Carpendale ratings were secondary before noting the show’s primetime win.
• Tributes from Beatrice Egli, Kerstin Ott, Ben Zucker, Sasha, Alexander Klaws and Paul Young stood out, while some viewers on social media criticized the programming focus.