The actor Fritz Wepper, who died at the age of 82, has been buried in Munich. A spokesman for the cemetery administration confirmed that the funeral service took place as planned in a small group.
Wepper had entertained German television audiences for decades – for example as detective assistant Harry Klein in the cult series “Derrick”. Wepper also appeared in the popular ARD series “For Heaven’s Sake” and lived out his comedic side as the scheming mayor Wolfgang Wöller.
The actor, who won many awards, died a good two weeks ago, around five months after his brother Elmar. In December, the Munich native was taken to a hospital in his hometown because of blood poisoning, but according to those close to him, he was soon on the mend. However, Wepper had been having health problems for a long time. He had already had heart surgery and fought tooth and nail against cancer.
“With Fritz Wepper, Bavaria is losing a great actor and an important personality,” emphasized Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), who was invited to the small memorial service. “Instead of a great career in Hollywood, he chose his family and his homeland.” Mischievous, cheerful, sometimes Bavarian-coarse and always lovable, Wepper put his own stamp on every role, said film fan Söder. “His death leaves a big gap.”