Close family and band members make their way to the service
Keystone
About 3,000 fans of Gotthard rocker Steve Lee, who died earlier this month in a motorcycle accident in Nevada, paid tribute to him on Sunday at the St Gotthard Pass.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Braving the cold, fog and freezing rain, Lee’s fans had travelled from not only many parts of Switzerland but also Italy, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
Two Capuchin monks led a service in memory of Lee near the Gotthard hospice at 2,106 metres above sea level.
In the presence of Lee’s partner, Brigitte Voss-Balzarini, and band members, they both paid their last respects.
“Steve’s voice fell silent from one moment to the next but it will always be linked with Gotthard, the name which the band made known around the world,” they said.
At the top of the pass a commemorative plaque will be set up next year as a tribute.
Lee’s ashes have been buried in the cemetery of Porza, a village which lies above Lugano in canton Ticino.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Survivors speak of Steve Lee’s final moments
This content was published on
Lee’s longtime partner, Brigitte Voss-Balzerini, said she had been standing next to the singer just five seconds before a tractor-trailer truck lost control on a Nevada motorway and crashed into a group of parked motorcycles, one of which then hit Lee. Lee and a group of 20 friends had been on a motorcycle tour of…
This content was published on
Lee, who had a British father and Swiss mother, co-founded the band in 1990 which went on to become one of the most successful Swiss acts ever. Their last 11 albums all charted at number one. The musician had arrived in the States at the weekend and had begun a biking tour of the country…
This content was published on
In an interview with swissinfo.ch, sound engineer and former Krokus band member Jürg Naegeli speaks of his friend’s down-to-earth demeanor, why fans all over Europe loved him, and what held Lee’s band, Gotthard, back from making it big on the international stage. Naegeli, still reeling from the loss, worked as an engineer on Gotthard’s albums…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.