Fans pay tribute to late Czech pop singer Karel Gott Thousands of fans flock to the Zofin Palace on an island in central Prague on Friday to bid farewell to Czech pop singer Karel Gott, who died aged 80 on October 1. Extremely popular in neighbouring Germany, Gott recently underwent treatment for acute leukemia, only a few years after beating cancer. Fans and journalists dubbed Gott “the golden voice of Prague” and “Sinatra of the East” because of his impeccable tenor. A trained electrician, Gott studied to be an opera singer. In the 1960s, he travelled from Communist Czechoslovakia to sing in Germany, the United States and elsewhere. Also a skilled painter and an occasional actor, Gott won the annual Golden Nightingale poll of Czech music fans a record 42 times. He released almost 300 records and CDs, selling tens of millions of copies. Gott will be buried on Saturday following a funeral ceremony with state honours and a requiem at St Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES