Michael Thilo, singer of original Benjamin Blümchen theme song, dies at 81

Belated confirmation of Michael Thilo's death

German musician Michael Thilo, whose acoustic guitar and vocals introduced millions of children to the audio drama series Benjamin Blümchen, died on 3 March 2026 at the age of 81. The news reached the general public on 1 October 2026, nearly seven months after his passing. His son, Enrico Amft, confirmed his father's death to the German newspaper Münchner Merkur. The confirmation followed an initial memorial post on the Facebook fan page Kofferradio, as no formal public announcements had been issued earlier by the family or KIDDINX, the commercial distributor that manages the franchise.

“Benjamin Blümchen was rather a marginal phenomenon. That was always bigger for outsiders than for us.”

The original audio drama recordings

In the late 1970s, Thilo recorded the original version of the Benjamin Blümchen title song, performing both the vocal track and the acoustic guitar accompaniment. The opening lines, describing a large grey elephant lying on a green meadow, became a familiar staple for cassette listeners in West Germany. His musical piece was featured as the theme song for the first 57 episodes of the audio play series until 1987. When the rights to the production were sold during the 1980s, the producers replaced Thilo's original guitar recording with a different studio arrangement.

“When I tell them that this is my father, the astonishment is huge.”

Musical career in East Germany

Born Michael Tilo Amft on 22 September 1944 in Dresden, the musician began his recording career in the German Democratic Republic under the name Michael-Tilo Amft. According to historical records in contemporary publications such as Melodie & Rhythmus, he made his debut for the state record label Amiga in 1969. He scored his first commercial success with the song "Barbara" and wrote additional solo material such as "Drei Wochen Urlaub". In 1971, he composed the melody for "Ich denk' an den Winter", collaborating on the piece with lyricist Gisela Steineckert and performing the song as a vocal duet with Aurora Lacasa. He also established working partnerships with other prominent East German figures, including songwriter Kurt Demmler.

Defection to West Berlin and later retirement

During the mid-1970s, Amft traveled to West Berlin to deliver a live guest performance and decided not to return to the East. Following his relocation, he adopted the professional name Michael Thilo. In West Germany, he appeared in various television programmes and recorded singles and albums spanning multiple musical genres. He remained an active touring and recording musician until 2009, when he completed his final stage performances. He subsequently retired from the music business and moved to Guttenberg in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria.

“I still come across music by him that I did not know yet and where I see how versatile he was back then.”