Of course, a talking elephant needs his own song. For years, Michael Thilo lent his voice to the theme song of the radio drama series “Benjamin Blümchen.” It has now been reported that the singer has died at the age of 81. Thilo passed away in March in Guttenberg, Upper Franconia, his son confirmed to the German Press Agency. He did not provide any details regarding the cause of death. Several media outlets had previously reported on the news. The composer, born Michael-Tilo Amft, was from Dresden. As a pop singer, he enjoyed success with songs such as “Barbara.” However, generations of children are likely to know his voice best from the adventures of the gray elephant with the red hat. From 1977 to 1987, Thilo’s version of the theme song was featured in the first 57 episodes of the radio drama series. He sang the song and accompanied himself on the guitar. The song began with the words “Auf ’ner schönen grünen Wiese.” His son told the “Münchner Merkur”: “I still come across music of his that I didn’t know before, and from which I can see just how versatile he was back then.” According to the report, Thilo was still performing on stage as late as 2009. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
