TV Legend Peter Rapp Passed Away at 81

In more than 60 years of television work, Peter Rapp earned a status as a cult presenter with his quick wit and humor. Now the native Viennese has died at the age of 81, as Rapp's journalistic home, the "Wiener Bezirksblatt," confirmed to the APA. Born on February 14, 1944, he joined Ö3 as a radio announcer in 1967 and became the presenter of the youth pop show "Spotlight" a year later, which he led until 1978.

This marks the end of a career with numerous highs and some lows that significantly shaped the history of Austrian television in recent decades.

Peter Rapp has died

Peter Rapp was born on February 14, 1944, in Vienna. His musical talent emerged early on, as he was a Vienna Choir Boy as a child. After high school, Rapp volunteered for military service for 15 months and reached the rank of corporal. He then pursued a journalistic career, working for the daily newspapers "Krone" and "Express." Meanwhile, he also dedicated himself to his passion for the stage and performed as a rock 'n' roll singer. He could also be found working as a tour guide, chauffeur, or film extra.

His television debut followed in 1963 - also as a singer on the show "Leute von Heute." Shortly thereafter, he appeared as a cabaret artist on the show "Teenagerparty," moderated by Willy Kralik. However, the decisive step in his career came in 1967 when Rapp joined Ö3 as a radio announcer. Just a year later, he became the presenter of the youth pop show "Spotlight," which he led until 1978.

Cult formats "Hoppala" and "Wer A sagt"

After interim engagements with ARD, ZDF, and Europawelle Saar, the cult formats such as "Hoppala," "Die große Chance," or "Wer A sagt" followed, which made Rapp a well-known TV face throughout Austria. "I always liked the show that was the last to have great success," Peter Rapp pragmatically stated in an APA interview in 2019. He also did not regret any engagement afterward: "My job is to host, and I was not picky about it."

However, Peter Rapp's life also had its lows. For instance, he made headlines in the 1990s when financial difficulties forced him into private bankruptcy. Yet, Rapp never left the screen. The long-running "Millionenrad" began in 1990 and continued after the currency changeover to the euro until the end of 2018 as the "Brieflos-Show." With Martina Rupp, he hosted the prime-time show "Champion" (1997 to 2000), and until 2011, he was also the face of the "Licht ins Dunkel" gala on ORF. Two years later, Rapp was finally awarded a Romy as the most popular host in the "Show" category - by no means the first prize he was able to take home.

Peter Rapp was also active as a voice actor

He also made a name for himself as a voice actor, being part of the animated feature film "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" (2014). The year before, he suffered a heart attack, the consequences of which only briefly banned the entertainer from the screen. By the fall of 2013, he was again part of the ORF show "Die große Chance" - a format he had already helped shape in its first edition in the 1980s.

In recent years, things became somewhat quieter around the ORF veteran, although Peter Rapp remained present in the public eye almost until the end. He was an advertising ambassador for affordable funerals and in 2020 received his own ORF nostalgia show "Als wäre es gestern gewesen," which aired several times a year. Additionally, the all-rounder had been a columnist for the "Wiener Bezirksblatt" since 2008. Now, Peter Rapp has bid farewell to his audience forever.

(APA/Red)

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