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Star chef Heinz Winkler
Photo: Ursula Düren / dpa
Top chef Heinz Winkler is dead. The 73-year-old died on Friday after a short, serious illness, according to the website of his hotel and restaurant "Residenz Heinz Winkler" in Aschau im Chiemgau.
"A legend of culinary art has died," it continues.
Several German media reports that after collapsing in Aschau, Winkler was taken to a clinic and placed in an artificial coma.
A multi-organ failure meant that he could no longer be brought out of the artificial coma.
The devices were turned off during the night from Friday to Saturday.
Three Michelin stars at the age of 31
Born in South Tyrol, Winkler had three stars for more than 20 years with interruptions.
According to the »Residenz Heinz Winkler« in Bolzano, he began his career at the age of 14 with a cooking apprenticeship.
He then learned from the chefs of the century, Paul Bocuse and Eckart Witzigmann.
Winkler later cooked as Witzigmann's successor in the famous restaurant "Tantris" in Munich, which was long considered the epitome of haute cuisine in Germany.
Stars, high society and gourmets frequented it.
In 1981, the then 31-year-old was the youngest chef to be awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide.
In 1991, Winkler opened his »Residenz« in Aschau, a luxury hotel with top-class cuisine.
There, the resigned Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber (CSU) had Winkler cook for his cabinet when he left in 2007.
According to a statement on Saturday, Eckart Witzigmann said that Winkler's death had hit him very hard.
With the »Residenz« in Aschau, Winkler created something great and became part of cooking history in Germany.
»My sympathy goes to his family, his employees in Aschau and also his guests.
The gap that has arisen will be difficult to close,” says Witzigmann.
In 2007, the gastronomy guide Gault Millau praised him as a »classicist of pure theory of harmony«. With an eight-course menu, Winkler received 19 out of 20 points from the experts, who were feared because of their strict judgements.
"In principle, he doesn't do anything different from the others, he just does it much better and makes as little fuss about it as nobody else," they judged at the time.
In addition to cooking stars, Winkler also wore other awards: According to the "Residenz Heinz Winkler", he was the first chef de cuisine to receive the Federal Cross of Merit.
In 2006 he was also named "Hotelier of the Year".
A rose was also named after him - another similarity with Eckart Witzigmann.
His life's work, the "Residenz Heinz Winkler", will be continued in his spirit by his family and closest confidants, according to the website of the hotel and restaurant.
jpa/dpa