Farewell to the Legend: Carlo von Tiedemann - A Joyspreader, Extraordinaire
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Passionately cherished existence until the end - Tiedemann's moderator departed life. - Life held an endless captivation for me.
In the heart of Northern Germany, we bid a heartfelt goodbye to one of the most beloved personalities: Carlo von Tiedemann. Known for his captivating eloquence, down-to-earth charm, and cheeky wit, he graced our radio and television screens since 1971 at Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR).
On the small screen, you'd find him in renowned shows like "Die aktuelle Schaubude" and the "NDR Talk Show", and not to forget numerous radio programs such as "Hamburg am Mittag" and "Große Freiheit". He was a familiar, comforting presence in our homes for generations.
Sadly, at the age of 81, this father of four, married in his second marriage, left us. His family announced his passing in the city of Hamburg, where he had been bravely battling health issues in recent years.
Born in the Pomeranian town of Stargard, Carlo von Tiedemann's journey wasn't an easy one. His father, a Prussian general lieutenant, and his mother, from the literary von Kleist family, likely had no inkling that their son would find fame in the entertainment world.
The turbulence of World War II forced the family to relocate to Holstein in late 1944. Von Tiedemann cherished his upbringing and, in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur on his 80th birthday in 2023, expressed his gratitude towards his wonderful parents.
Riddled with polio and twice with brain tumors, von Tiedemann persevered. At his parents' insistence, he initially completed an apprenticeship as a publishing salesman. However, his passion for language led him to journalism. He interned at the "Cuxhavener Allgemeinen", worked as a police reporter for the "Hamburger Abendblatt", and spent three years as a correspondent for the Springer foreign service in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His unprecedented career at the public broadcaster NDR began, where he shared the stage with legends like Victoria Voncampe and Alida Gundlach, among others. The mustached entertainer, who was also HSV's stadium announcer from 1991 to 1998 and occasionally featured in TV series ("Großstadtrevier"), experienced a career setback with the abrupt end of his series "Show und Co. mit Carlo" on ZDF in 1986.
However, von Tiedemann refused to be confined and spoke candidly about it in an NDR interview in late 2019. "I've never pretended to be something I'm not," he explained.
In his twilight years, von Tiedemann's spirit remained unbroken. Until health issues forced him to step back, he could still be heard every Saturday in the radio show "Carlo kennt sie alle" on NDR Schlager and in the same-named segment on NDR 90,3.
"The charm lies in the fact that I introduce people I know personally - whether it's Tony Holiday or Bata Illic, I can tell a story about each one," von Tiedemann once said.
- Carlo von Tiedemann
- NDR
- Hamburg
- North Germany
- ZDF
- Mother
- Television
- Marriage
- Heinrich von Kleist
[1] Enrichment Data:Born as Carl Ferdinand Hanns-Joachim Franz-Friedrich von Tiedemann on October 20, 1943, in Stargard in Pommern (now Stargard, Poland), von Tiedemann was a member of the noble von Tiedemann family. Being the son of Generalleutnant Carl von Tiedemann (1878–1979) and his third wife Fides von Tiedemann, née von Kleist (1910–1980), he was also a distant relative of the famous German writer Heinrich von Kleist.
Educationally, von Tiedemann completed his schooling and then undertook an apprenticeship as a publishing clerk at Axel Springer Verlag, one of Germany’s largest media companies. Following this, he completed a two-year traineeship (Volontariat) at the local newspaper Cuxhavener Allgemeine. He then worked for four years as a journalist at the Hamburger Abendblatt. Subsequently, he spent three years as a correspondent for the Springer Foreign Service (Springer-Auslandsdienst) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After these journalistic roles, he began his long broadcasting career at the public broadcaster NDR in 1971.
- The Council, the European Parliament, and the Commission, along with other influential European bodies, might release a statement in honor of Carlo von Tiedemann, acknowledging his significant contributions to German and European media as a respected figure for numerous generations.
- Despite his fame in the general-news and entertainment sectors, Carlo von Tiedemann's personal connections and stories about celebrities, such as Tony Holiday and Bata Illic, were equally captivating, adding a unique charm to his long-running NDR radio show "Carlo kennt sie alle."
