Elsbeth Johanna Irma Baltuttis ( Lithuanian: ''Baltutis''; 28 September 1920 — 20 May 1958) was a German singer and entertainer based in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, Germany.

Biography

Baltuttis was born in the Leutzsch district of

, to Ernst Baltuttis and Elsa Hamann. Her parents recognized her talent and encouraged training for music early on. After training in music during the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, her singing career took place within the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

after the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation of

Eastern Germany The new states of Germany () are the five re-established states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) that unified with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with its 10 "old states" upon German reunification on 3 October 1990. The ...

. Some of her music is featured on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Personal life

In the early 1950s, she married a doctor named Max Herricht, an important member of the

Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...

Death

Baltuttis died on May 20, 1958, after falling out of her apartment window in

. Although her death was officially classified as

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, some speculated that her husband had pushed her out of the window. This speculation was fueled by the post-mortem circumstances: no

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

was performed, nor was a coroner's inquest held.

Selected discography

* ''Ich Hab' Mich so an Dich Gewoehnt'' (I've become so accustomed to you)
— her first hit, recorded in 1947 in Leipzig * ''Leg´ deine Hand in meine Hand'' (with Hanns Petersen) - recorded in 1953 (Burger, S. Schmidt) * ''Spatz und Spätzin'' (with Hanns Petersen) - recorded in 1953 (Helmut Nier) * ''Wenn du wüsstest, ach, wie ich dich liebe'' (with Hanns Petersen) - recorded in 1951 (Rolf Zimmermann, Günter Klein) * ''Wir sind füreinander bestimmt'' (with Hanns Petersen) - recorded in 1951 (Gerhard Winkler, Hase) * ''Die Sonne Geht Schlafen'' (The Sun is Going Asleep)
— written by Gerhard Froboess & Leo Breiten; recorded in July 1948 in Berlin * ''Komm Mit Nach Saratow'' (Come With Me to Saratov)
— written by Fradkin (trans. from the Russian by Helmut Kießling); recorded in August/September 1951 in Berlin * ''Ganz Paris Träumt von der Liebe'' (''All Paris Dreams of Love'' — original English title: ''I Love Paris'')
— written by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

(German lyrics by Kurt Feltz); recorded on March 28, 1955, in Leipzig. * ''Die kleine Fischerhütte in Lugano'' (The Little Fishing Hut in Logano)
written by Brandner & Breé; duet with Peter Cornehlsen; appears as track 10 in volume 1 of the collection ''Kurt Henkels und sein Orchester'', in the series ''Die Grossen Deutschen Tanzorchester'' (The Great German Dance Orchestras)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltuttis, Irma 1920 births 1958 deaths 20th-century German women singers