GERMANY (CelebrityAccess) Peter Rüchel, 81, co-founder of the Germany music show Rockpalast, died in Leverkusen, Germany, Feb. 20.
Rüchel came to the WDR television station in 1974 to become head of youth programming. In 1976, the German radio station launched a weekly, half-hour youth program that included live music once a month under the banner “Rockpalast.” The roster through the years featured acts like Thin Lizzy, UFO, Michael Schenker and Trust.
“RIP Peter Rüchel. One of my best friends and one of Rock History’s best friends,” Steven Van Zandt recently posted on Facebook. “He was the German genius at WDR that created the RockPalast Shows in the 80s that were broadcast live to like 12 countries twice a year. Live! From 8PM to 5AM. There’s never been anything like it.”
