Peter Kraus goes on tour with his son Mike. The song “United Forever” was the trigger for the decision.Image: imago
At 87, Peter Kraus goes on his farewell tour. It is already the eighth. But this time will definitely be the last.
May 31, 2026, 7:10 p.mMay 31, 2026, 7:12 p.m
Anja Stampfli / ch media
25 years ago you recommended that I always stand on one leg when brushing my teeth in order to remain mobile. I still do it.
Peter Kraus: (laughs): I still do it like that occasionally. I still move around a lot – I’m a busy guy with a restless spirit and always have to do something. I don’t need a gym for that. I jump on trampolines and here, where I live in Ticino, I go canoeing in the summer. The only thing I’ve stopped doing is water skiing. This no longer works the way it used to. But what the heck – I did that for 70 years. As you get older, you have to do sports sensibly and not overdo it. I also maintain my figure through exercise.
Peter Kraus – with “Sugar Baby” in 1958.
They are going on a new tour next year. The first time with your son Mike. How did this idea come about?
Mike came to me with a song called “United Forever” and wanted to sing it in a duet with me. Mike writes very good songs – but usually only in English. The song appealed to me and now we are putting together a tour in Germany and Austria. It’s a nice challenge that I’m happy to take on. But we don’t have any dates in Switzerland yet, they may still come. I believe you always have to have a goal in mind – that’s important in life. (laughs) Okay – it’s now my eighth farewell tour. Retirement just doesn’t work.
The German Elvis
lives with his wife Ingrid in Ticino. The singer and actor became known, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, as the first major German-speaking teenage idol. He is often called the founder of German rock’n’roll because he made musical styles like that of Elvis Presley famous in German-speaking countries.
image: imago
Peter Kraus
lives with his wife Ingrid in Ticino. The singer and actor became known, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, as the first major German-speaking teenage idol. He is often called the founder of German rock’n’roll because he made musical styles like that of Elvis Presley famous in German-speaking countries.
The song “United Forever” is very sentimental, it’s about death. Still a taboo topic.
That’s right, and of course death scares me too. But we all have to live with death. However, the lyrics of the song are appealing to me. I had and still have so much success as a singer. Why should I try to make a party hit at 87? The song is about a beautiful father-son relationship that transcends death. Many dads don’t have as close a connection with their sons as we do. Some children just wait until their parents die because all they think about is inheriting. This is brutal. Mike said to me: Why do we only talk about saying goodbye when there’s no time left? He’s right about that. By the way, on Saturday we will be performing the song on the TV show “Starnacht am Neusiedler See”, but of course there will be rocking there too!
Do you sing live on TV?
No, I don’t do that to myself – especially with such an emotional song like the one with Mike, it would leave me speechless…
What would you like people to say about you later?
My God, what can you say? I still get a lot of letters – especially from women. It often says that I accompanied her musically throughout her life and that I was always a charming role model for her when it came to humanity. That pleases me. I still think it’s nice to do something good for others. One of them does it as a doctor – I do it on stage!
They have lived in the picturesque village of Morcote on Lake Lugano for decades. What does a day in the life of Peter Kraus look like?
I get up relatively early, around half past six. Then I make myself a strong coffee and go outside and enjoy the good air. I also do a bit of gymnastics. Of course, I also practice my legendary hip swing for the stage every day (laughs again) and wait until my wife calls “good morning” from the bedroom. Then I make her some coffee and then I go to bed again. Sometimes I take one of my classic cars out and drive around the lake. That’s wonderful.
Describes himself as an “Austrian German-Swiss”: rock icon Peter Kraus.Image: imago
You have been married to your wife Ingrid for 57 years now. How do you do that?
I don’t know it. It’s never been difficult for me. We said from the beginning: There will be no arguments. That just costs time and nerves. It might sound a bit old-fashioned. But that just fits.
Your wife suffers from macular degeneration – an incurable eye disease that can lead to blindness. How is she today?
We have it under control, she is doing quite well. Ingrid has ozone infusions every three months. Successfully.
Why is it there?
We have a personal physician in Austria, Johann Lahodny. We do these ozone infusions with him. It’s admirable what he does and can do. The blood is enriched with a high dose of ozone and the body is detoxified. I’ve been doing this for 10 years. He just heals everything. With this method he can even cure cancer, but in Germany they don’t let him. But in China he is a god. There he has 40 cancer patients and heals them one by one. He also does metal removal. I do that two to three times a year. (laughs again) After all, nothing comes from nothing! You can’t stay fit and healthy just by jumping on the trampoline.
Finally, you have to explain this to me: Why does a native German with an Austrian passport live in Switzerland?
(laughs heartily) It’s very simple: I am an Austrian-German-Swiss citizen. No, seriously: My father was from Salzburg. My mother was from Munich and I was born in Munich. But I have an Austrian passport. I grew up there until I was twelve, then we went back to Munich.
You never wanted the Swiss passport?
Good question. Maybe I just slept through it. My son Mike has a Swiss passport. I have a C permit and really enjoy living in Switzerland. Who knows, maybe I’ll apply for it one day. (laughs) Goals are never wrong.
The live broadcast (including with Peter and Mike Kraus) of the big hit show from the Mörbisch lake stage will take place on ORF2 on Saturday, May 30, 2026, 8:15 p.m. (aargauerzeitung.ch)