Rex Gildo

Born Ludwig Alexander Hirtreiter on July 2, 1939, the German schlager performer Rex Gildo launched an acting career in the late 1950s under the stage name Alexander Gildo. A 1960 recording contract with Electrola Records prompted his adoption of the Rex Gildo identity, and he remained a prominent vocalist in Germany across the 1970s, frequently achieving success through duets with singer Gitte Haenning. He entered into marriage with his cousin Marion Hirtreiter in 1974, although his committed romantic partnerships were consistently with men. Recording prospects diminished in the 1980s, prompting Gildo to establish himself as a television personality before returning to the stage via nostalgia-driven appearances throughout the 1990s. On October 23, 1999, he jumped from the third-floor window of his Munich apartment and succumbed three days later, on October 26, to injuries from the fall.