The funeral of Karel Gott took place today (Saturday, October 12th) at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle. Cardinal Dominik Duka officiated over the mass.

There were more than two hundred invited guests.

President Miloš Zeman, PM Andrej Babiš (ANO), Senate chairman Jaroslav Kubera (ODS) attended the funeral.

Gott released some 300 albums starting in the 1960s and sold tens of millions of copies in his country, the Soviet Union and elsewhere in the Communist world.

He rose to stardom in the 1960s touring the US and what was then West Germany and represented Austria in the Eurovision song contest.

That was when German papers described him as the “Sinatra of the East”.

Karel Gott died on October 1st at the age of 80, succumbing to acute leukemia. A first cancer on the lymphatic system, he had survived a few years earlier.

The last farewell with late Czech pop star Karel Gott will have the form of a funeral with state honours, not of a usual state funeral, Prime Minister Andrej Babis told journalists yesterday.

Czech cabinet tasked ministries and other government offices to lower national flags to half-mast.

Babis said he wanted to tell the public where and when Gott will be buried. Culture Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said the government was waiting for the position of Gott’s family.

“I hope to announce to the public the date of Karel Gott’s funeral on [Thursday] afternoon and the location where people can pay their respects, as well as where the official farewell will take place. It will not be a state funeral, but one with state honours…I discussed this matter with his family yesterday and today a special team will settle the details.”

Gott died late Tuesday at home in Prague after battling leukaemia for a period of time.

He released some 300 albums since the 1960s and sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, was regarded as the most popular pop singer in the Czech Republic.