Waldemar Matuška, without question one of the most gifted Czech popular singers of the modern era, passed away 10 years ago this month, on May 30, 2009. Born Vladimír Matuška in Košice, Slovakia, he grew up in Prague and started out as an actor with the legendary theatre company Semafor, before making an impact in movies such as If a Thousand Clarinets and All My Good Countrymen.
Waldemar Matuška|Photo: archive of Czech Radio
Waldemar Matuška, without question one of the most gifted Czech popular singers of the modern era, passed away 10 years ago this month, on May 30, 2009. Born Vladimír Matuška in Košice, Slovakia, he grew up in Prague and started out as an actor with the legendary theatre company Semafor, before making an impact in movies such as If a Thousand Clarinets and All My Good Countrymen. Alongside his numerous solo hits, Matuška also sang with a number of other huge names in Czech popular music, including Helena Vondráčková, Marta Kubišová, Jitka Zelenková, Hana Hegerová and Karel Gott. He emigrated to the US in the mid-1980s and was living in Florida at the time of his death at the age of 76.
