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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kate Connolly in Berlin

Tributes paid to Germany’s ‘favourite Englishman’ Roger Whittaker

Roger Whittaker wearing a blue shirt and holding a guitar during a TV appearance in 1970.
Roger Whittaker during a TV appearance in 1970. The baritone became West Germany’s top-selling artist in 1977. Photograph: Shutterstock

Tributes are being paid across Germany to the singer Roger Whittaker, described as the country’s favourite Briton who served his biggest and most loyal fanbase by singing in their tongue.

Whittaker, whose death at 87 was announced on Monday, admitted to never learning to speak the language, but became one of the most prolific recording artists in German by having his translated lyrics transcribed phonetically and taking lessons to sound as if he meant what he sang.

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