Ralph Siegel, musician, composer and producer.Image: DPA
July 6, 2026, 7:10 p.mJuly 6, 2026, 7:10 p.m
The 80-year-old composer Ralph Siegel was hospitalized a few days ago due to severe pneumonia. It has now been announced that the music icon is now in an artificial coma. With well over 2,000 registered titles, the Munich native is considered one of the most productive and successful composers and producers in the German-speaking world.
Again Munich Mercury Citing close family circles, the hitmaker’s condition worsened after he was taken to the hospital, whereupon doctors put him in an artificial coma. Despite the serious situation, however, there is a ray of hope: Ralph Siegel is already able to breathe on his own again.
Image: screenshot instagram
His daughter Giulia Siegel and his wife Laura gave an initial update on the composer’s condition on Instagram and thanked them for their condolences:
“The whole family is together and focuses entirely on our father. He is currently in an induced coma, but can already breathe on his own. We look forward to the coming days with confidence.”
The family deliberately does not provide detailed medical information.
“Mister Grand Prix”
Hardly anyone is as deeply rooted in the DNA of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) as Ralph Siegel. Between 1974 and 2017, the musician sent 24 songs to the finals of the competition. A record that earned him the nickname “Mister Grand Prix”.
Siegel also wrote cult hits such as “Dschinghis Khan” (1979) and shaped the careers of celebrities such as Udo Jürgens, Peter Alexander, Roy Black and Rex Gildo for decades. For his work, he was honored with the Echo Music Prize for his life’s work in 2007. (val)