Herbert Anton Hilger (born Bloeth; 3 February 1938 – 16 February 2023), known professionally as Tony Marshall, was a German '' Schlager'' and opera singer. Famous since 1971 with his hit song ''Schöne Maid'', he also played in some comedies and was often seen on television.

Early life and education

Born in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the Rhine, the border with Fra ...

, Marshall trained as an opera singer in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, graduating in 1965.

Career

However, rather than embarking on a career in the opera, in 1971, he had his first hit single, "Schöne Maid" (a year later also released in an English-language version, "Pretty Maid"). "Pretty Maid" peaked at number 16 in Australia in 1971. In 1976, he won Ein Lied Fur Den Haag with the song “Der Star” but in less than 24 hours, he was disqualified because his song was previously sung in public in 1973 by Nizza Thobi causing his spot in Eurovision to be taken over by

Les Humphries Singers The Les Humphries Singers was a 1970s pop group formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 by the English-born Les Humphries. The group had several chart hits in Germany and in other European countries. The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end ...

. In February 2009 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Tahiti Nui.

Personal life and death

Marshall died in Baden-Baden on 16 February 2023, at the age of 85.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Tony 1938 births 2023 deaths People from Baden-Baden German male singers Schlager musicians Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Officers of the Order of Tahiti Nui