These Swiss personalities passed away in 2023
Published: Sunday, Dec 31st 2023, 08:50
Updated At: Monday, Jan 1st 2024, 00:59
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A Nobel Prize winner, a rock world star, a pioneer in federal politics and a young sports talent: in addition to physicist Karl Alex Müller, Switzerland also lost musician Tina Turner, the country's first female Federal Councillor Elisabeth Kopp and professional cyclist Gino Mäder in 2023. An overview of Swiss personalities who died in 2023:
KARL ALEX MÜLLER: The Basel-born Nobel Prize winner for physics died on January 9 at the age of 95. He had received the award in 1987 together with the German Georg Bednorz. The two physicists had discovered high-temperature superconductivity while searching for new superconductors. This made it possible to use nitrogen as a coolant, which was cheaper, more efficient and easier to handle.
BEATE SCHNITTER: The Zurich architecture pioneer died on January 25 at the age of 93. She campaigned for the preservation of historic sites and was known for new buildings and complete renovations. In the 1970s, she was one of the few in her profession to speak out and draw attention to the situation of women in the construction industry. Schnitter's best-known works include restorations of Semper buildings. These include the ETH main building and the Zurich Observatory.
PASCAL THURRE: The former Valais journalist died on January 28 at his home in Sion VS at the age of 95. He was the founder of the "Amis de Farinet", the smallest vineyard in the world. For over 40 years, Thurre had attracted hundreds of celebrities from all over the world to the vineyard to harvest or fertilize plants, including James Bond actor Roger Moore, actress Gina Lollobrigida, football coach Zinédine Zidane, former racing driver Michael Schumacher and Princess Caroline of Monaco.
MAX HUWYLER: The Zug writer and educator died on January 28 at the age of 91. The primary and secondary school teacher was co-author of the language teaching aid "World of Words". He also wrote short stories, radio plays and translated plays by Günter Grass and Elias Canetti into dialect. He also wrote children's books ("Das Nashorn und das Nashorn" and "Die Stadtgartenschnecke") and plays for the school stage. A few months before his death, his last book, the poetry collection "ich habe ein gedicht geträumt", was published.
ANDREAS LADNER: The Lausanne political scientist passed away unexpectedly on February 7 at the age of 65. He was a popular commentator on developments in Swiss politics. Among other things, he called for new rules for the election of the Federal Council in order to preserve concordance. Ladner was Professor of Swiss Administration and Institutional Politics at the Graduate Institute of Public Administration (Idheap) at the University of Lausanne. He previously worked at the universities of Bern, Zurich and Constance (Germany) and led National Fund projects on communal and party research.
FRANCOIS COUCHEPIN: The former Federal Chancellor died on February 27 at the age of 88 after a serious illness. The liberal-minded lawyer from Valais headed the Federal Chancellery from 1991 to 1999. The son of a federal judge, he was also a distant cousin of former Federal President Pascal Couchepin. He was part of the FDP establishment in Valais and sat on the Grand Council. In 1980, he joined the Federal Chancellery as head of the French section of the central language services. He became Vice-Chancellor in 1981 and Federal Chancellor in 1991.
ELISABETH KOPP: The former FDP Federal Councillor died on April 7 at the age of 86 after a long illness. The Zurich native was the first woman to be elected to the Federal Council on October 2, 1984. As head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), she campaigned for faster processing of asylum applications and was committed to the advancement of women. In 1989, she resigned following a controversy over a telephone call with her husband. In it, she is said to have asked him to withdraw from a company due to possible involvement in money laundering. She was acquitted by the Federal Supreme Court of the charge of violating official secrecy.
EBERHARD W. KORNFELD: The auctioneer, art collector and author died on April 13 in Ostermundigen BE at the age of 99. Born in Basel and a resident of Berne by choice, his house is one of the most famous addresses in the global auction business. Kornfeld was friends with numerous artists, including Pablo Picasso. He also had contacts with Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle. His passion was printmaking. Kornfeld was instrumental in setting up the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Museum in Davos GR.
ELIANA BURKI: The Swiss alphorn virtuoso, singer and composer died of a malignant brain tumor on April 24 at the age of 39. The Swiss musician made a name for herself by anchoring the alphorn in funk, pop and jazz; she coined the term "Funky Swiss Alphorn". She has performed internationally, in Europe, the USA, South America and the Middle and Far East. She was born in 1983 in the canton of Solothurn. She has lived temporarily in Solothurn and Los Angeles.
HANNA JOHANSEN: The German-Swiss writer whose real name was Hanna Margarete Muschg died on April 25 in Horgen ZH at the age of 83. The author of novels, short stories and children's books was the wife of the writer Adolf Muschg and published works under the pseudonym Hanna Johansen. She published over 30 books for children and adults and is considered the grande dame of Swiss literature. She has received several awards for her literary work, including the Swiss Literature Prize in 2015.
PETER ZEINDLER: The crime writer passed away on May 7 at the age of 89 in a retirement home in Zurich. The spy thriller series about the German intelligence agent Konrad Sembritzki, disguised as a Bernese antiquarian bookseller, made him famous. Zeindler was one of the most awarded German-language crime writers of the present day. He won the national German Crime Fiction Prize four times. The German studies graduate and Goethe specialist also worked as a journalist for TV, radio and print media.
TINA TURNER: Rock legend and actress died on May 24 after a long illness at the age of 83 in her home in Küsnacht ZH on Lake Zurich. The superstar had lived in Switzerland for years. When she became Swiss in 2013, she gave up her US citizenship. Turner formed the rhythm and blues duo Ike & Tina Turner with her then husband Ike Turner in the 1960s. After divorcing, she embarked on a solo career in the 1980s. With over 180 million records sold, she became the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll". Her fortune was once estimated at over 200 million Swiss francs.
MICHAEL E. DREHER: The Autopartei founder and former Zurich National Councillor died on May 22 at the age of 79. The lawyer and entrepreneur from Schaffhausen founded the right-wing Autopartei in 1985 together with like-minded people, which was renamed the Freedom Party in 1994. Dreher was a member of the National Council from 1987 to 1999. The Car Party fought against lower speed limits and other traffic regulations. In the 1999 elections, the Freedom Party lost its seats in the National Council. Dreher last lived in Küsnacht ZH.
RUTH SCHWEIKERT: The multi-award-winning writer and playwright died of cancer on June 4, six weeks before her 59th birthday. Schweikert was born in 1965 in Lörrach in southern Germany and lived in Zurich with her husband and filmmaker Eric Bergkraut and their five children. She became known for novels such as "Augen zu" (1998), "Ohio " (2005) and "Wie wir älter wurden" (2015), but also as a committed voice in political debates. Together with other artists, she ran for the National Council in 2015 on an "Art and Politics" list. With "Tage wie Hunde" (2019), Schweikert came to terms with her cancer diagnosis, which she was diagnosed with in February 2016.
JEAN WICKI: The 1972 Olympic four-man bobsleigh champion in Sapporo passed away on June 11, one week before his 90th birthday. The Valais native put the Swiss bobsleigh nation back on the map as a pilot. He had already won bronze with the foursome in Grenoble in 1968. Before the gold coup at the end of the Games in Japan, third place in the two-man event did not meet the high expectations.
GINO MÄDER: The Swiss cyclist succumbed to head injuries on June 16 following a fall into a ravine on the Albula Pass the day before during the Tour de Suisse. The overall class rider, who grew up in Wiedlisbach BE, was 26 years old. The Swiss junior champion was regarded as an up-and-coming young talent. Mäder celebrated his big breakthrough in 2021 when he won stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia and finished fifth overall in the Tour of Spain Vuelta.
PETER BIERI/PASCAL MERCIER: The Bernese writer and philosopher Peter Bieri, known by his pen name Pascal Mercier, died in Berlin on June 27 at the age of 79. The former university lecturer and philosophy professor celebrated his greatest literary success with the novel "Night Train to Lisbon", published in 2004. The book was translated into over 30 languages and was made into a film starring Jeremy Irons in 2013. His latest work was published in 2020 with "The Weight of Words".
OSCAR J. SCHWENK: The long-standing head of Pilatus Aircraft Works in Nidwalden died on July 15 at the age of 78. Born in 1944, the farmer and patron was Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the aircraft factory from 1994 to 2021. He developed the company, which was founded in 1939, into one of the largest employers in Central Switzerland with 2,500 employees and a turnover in the billions by pursuing a niche policy. Schwenk also managed the fortunes of Pilatus Railways for 16 years as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He transformed the former mountain railway company into a modern tourism business. He also took over the mineral spring at Bad Knutwil LU.
ARNAUD BEDAT: The journalist and author from French-speaking Switzerland died on July 20 at the age of 58 after an illness. The Jura native worked for "L'Illustré" for many years and made a name for himself in particular with his sensational investigations. Over the course of his career, he researched numerous formative events in recent history, including the crash of Swissair flight 111 off Halifax, Canada, in 1998 and the drama surrounding the Solar Temple sect. He has also written several books, including on the chansonnier Jacques Brel and Pope Francis.
MARTIN LACIGA: The pioneer of Swiss beach volleyball died on August 22 at the age of 48. The man from Seeland suffered from severe depression. The man from Kerzers FR was the world number 1 in 1999 and celebrated numerous successes together with his brother Paul Laciga. The duo reached the World Championship final in 1999. Martin Laciga represented Switzerland three times at the Olympic Games and won the European Championships three times with his brother. Together with Paul, four years his senior, Martin Laciga was instrumental in the development of the sport of beach volleyball. The brothers shaped the scene from 1995 to 2004.
RAINER E. GUT: The former captain of industry died on October 11 at the age of 91. Born in Zug, he was one of the most influential men in the Swiss economy. He transformed Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA) into the global banking group Credit Suisse (CS). Gut held mandates at other major companies, such as Swiss Re, Swissair and Nestlé. He chaired the food group from 2000 to 2005, and the economy also relied on him at the end of the 1990s when the dispute over dormant assets from the Second World War escalated. He is said to have played a key role in the 1.25 billion dollar settlement with Jewish class action plaintiffs.
JÖRG BUCHERER: Shortly after selling his jewelry and watch chain to Rolex, Jörg Bucherer died on November 6 at the age of 87. Bucherer was the third generation of his family to run the Lucerne-based company. He took over the business from his father in 1977 and led a course of expansion, initially into Austria and Germany. He opened the world's largest watch and jewelry store in Paris, made acquisitions in Great Britain and the USA and gained a foothold in New York, for example. Today, Bucherer has more than one hundred jewelry stores worldwide and claims to have 2,400 employees.
EVA MEZGER-HAEFELI: The former television presenter and actress died on November 6 at the age of 89. She was a television and radio personality from the very beginning and one of the first female program presenters on Swiss television. Mezger-Haefeli started out as a program assistant in the early 1950s and later became a program announcer. In the meantime, she appeared on stage as an actress. She returned to television in the 1970s and presented programs such as "Da Capo", "Seniorama", "Treffpunkt" and "Lipsticks". After presenting over 1000 programs, Mezger-Haefeli retired in 1996.
WERNER CAROBBIO: The former SP National Councillor from Ticino - a veteran of Ticino socialism - died on November 7 at the age of 86. The trained teacher and local politician was a co-founder of the Autonomous Socialist Party in Ticino and became its secretary. He was a member of the National Council from 1975 to 1999. Among other things, he chaired the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (PUK) into the secret resistance organization P-26 in 1990. After resigning from the Grand Chamber, he was elected to the Ticino Grand Council and became its President in 2005. One of his daughters, Marina Carobbio, has been a member of the cantonal government of Ticino since April. She heads the Department of Education.
ANNA FELDER: Born in Lugano TI in 1937, the author and doctor of romance literature died in Aarau on November 15 at the age of 85. Despite a comparatively small body of work, she is one of the most thoughtful and highly decorated voices in Swiss literature. She left behind four novels, numerous short stories and several radio plays and plays in Italian. In 2018, the Federal Office of Culture (BAK) awarded her the prestigious Grand Prix Literature.
PETER STUDER: The well-known journalist and former editor-in-chief passed away on December 2. He was 88 years old. The lawyer, who grew up in Lucerne, was editor-in-chief of the "Tages-Anzeiger" and journalistic director of Tamedia for many years, editor-in-chief of Swiss television, then president of the Swiss Press Council and for two years a member of the board of directors of the former Swiss News Agency, now Keystone-SDA. The University of St. Gallen, where Studer taught media law, awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2005.
LEONARD GIANADDA: The Valais patron of the arts, architect and building contractor died on December 3 at the age of 88 in his hometown of Martigny. He suffered from cancer and had a serious car accident in October. He left behind a foundation and a museum of international renown in the town. The Fondation Gianadda, which the Valais native set up in 1978 in memory of his brother Pierre, who died young, regularly exhibits works by famous artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh and Rodin. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the museum every year.
TED SCAPA: The Swiss artist died in Bern on December 6 at the age of 92. Scapa was born in Amsterdam in 1931. The illustrator became known to a wide audience through the children's program "Das Spielhaus" on Swiss television in the 1960s and 1970s. As a cartoonist, Scapa drew for the international press for many years and published children's books and cartoon collections. Scapa usually created a series of pictures on one theme. Scapa lived in Vallamand VD on Lake Murten for many years. Since February 2021, the artist has lived in a retirement home in Bern.
JÜRG RANDEGGER: The Swiss cabaret artist died at home in Zurich on December 19 at the age of 88. Randegger made a name for himself with the cabaret Rotstift. He was a trained teacher and founded Cabaret Äxgüsi with Jörg Schneider in 1954, becoming part of Cabaret Rotstift a good ten years later. Randegger also worked on a radio play for the "Schlieremer Chind" and hosted the "Samschtig-Jass" on Swiss television for over twenty years until 1999. Randegger made his last stage appearance in August at the Zurich open-air music theater "Trittligass".
GASTON HÄNI: The long-standing Swiss clown died of cancer in Arbon TG on December 20 at the age of 72. He was born into a Swiss circus family in 1951. His father was a trapeze artist and his mother performed in the circus. He met his circus ring partner Rolf Knie in 1973. The duo went on tour together, appeared on television shows and were featured in films. In 1999, Roli Noirjean took his place at Gaston's side. The two played side by side for over twenty years. In winter, they were a permanent fixture at the Conelli Christmas Circus in Zurich. In 2017, Gaston received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the international circus festival in Val d'Oise-Dumont near Paris.
LESLEY MCNAUGHT: The former top rider and Olympic medal winner passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59. Born in England, she was one of the best show jumpers in the world in the 1990s and 2000s. She won Olympic silver with the Swiss team in Sydney in 2000. McNaught came to Switzerland at the age of 18 and obtained a Swiss passport after marrying Beat Mändli. She was also a successful jumping coach for the Swiss eventing team. No details of her death have been released.
DICK MARTY: The former FDP member of the Council of States in Ticino, public prosecutor, member of the cantonal government and "mafia hunter" died on December 28 at the age of 78 after suffering from cancer. The former member of the Council of Europe and member of the OSCE Commission on Human Rights made a name for himself as a special investigator into controversial CIA prisoner transports and secret prisons in Europe. In 2010, Marty published a report on alleged war crimes committed by Kosovar militias during the war of independence against Serbia. In 2020, his findings were used in the indictment in the Kosovo Special Court in The Hague against the long-serving Kosovan President Hashim Thaci. Marty, a lawyer, was temporarily under personal protection.
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