Otto Waalkes (78) is probably the most famous East Frisian in the nation. But the fact that he was able to develop into a nationwide comedy icon was due, in addition to his talent for clever foolery, primarily to one man, as he himself says: Hans Otto Mertens, who discovered Waalkes many years ago and became a close friend over the following decades.
According to consistent media reports, Mertens passed away on July 24 at the age of 81, after having struggled with health problems for some time. Speaking to the "Bild" newspaper, Waalkes now expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of his mentor.
He said he "owes Mertens everything" and added: "We were friends for 50 years. He always took care of me. Thank you!" He didn't always make Mertens' job easy, as Waalkes noted with a typical wink: "He managed Otto, that's not so easy. He led an intense life because of it."
From pharmacy student to Otto wrangler
In the early 1970s, Mertens and Waalkes became an unusual team. "He was a pharmacy student back then", the comedian now recalled. Nevertheless, Mertens was apparently the first to recognize the talent of the Emden native and recorded his first concert. After that, he encouraged Waalkes to "do something bigger".
However, according to Waalkes, the studios initially had no interest in the idea of putting "jokes on a record". So Mertens took a big risk, took out a loan and produced the record on his own - the rest is German comedy history.
Contact never broke off
Even after their work together, contact between the two men, who had long since become friends, never broke off. "Until the very end, we lived next to each other in Florida and saw each other regularly", said Waalkes. The fact that this will no longer be possible, he describes as "very tragic".
