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Udo Juergens | Entertainer, 80

Udo Juergens, 80, an Austrian-born star who dominated pop music in the German-speaking world and sold more than 100 million records in a career spanning five decades, died Sunday.

Mr. Juergens collapsed unconscious during a walk in Gottlieben, a town on Lake Constance north of Zurich, Switzerland, and was taken to a hospital where he died of heart failure 4:25 p.m., according to a statement on his website posted by his management company Freddy Burger Management.

Germany's minister for culture, Monika Gruetters, called Mr. Juergens a gifted composer and singer. "In Udo Juergens we have lost an exceptional artist," Gruetters said in a statement.

Mr. Juergens recorded more than 800 songs.

A 1969 poll showed him as one of three most beloved figures for German young people, placing him alongside John F. Kennedy and Mao Tse-tung. - AP