Munich mourns the loss of celebrity baker Bodo Müller. He died on Thursday - many Munich residents and also Uli Hoeneß are shaken. Because Bodo Müller was full of life, despite his Parkinson's disease.
Munich - A single white rose lies in the courtyard of the house at Rosental 10 in the city center. A last greeting to Bodo Müller, the legendary Munich confectioner (75). On Thursday afternoon, he took his own life here, jumping out of a window on the fifth floor.* Parkinson's disease, the dwindling strength: He saw no way out for himself and deliberately left life so as not to burden his next of kin.
+An ambulance rushed to the Rosental near the Viktualienmarkt on Thursday.
© Markus Götzfried
It must have been dark days for the man who was so famous for his wit - a colorful dog in the old town. Many knew Bodo as FC Bayern's house and court confectioner and as the landlord of the dazzling café tent at the Oktoberfest. Müller started there many years ago very small, with a stand.
Business was booming, and so the stall became a real tent. Otto Lindinger is now the landlord here - Müller's long-time business partner and good friend. Lindinger is stunned after the drama - even though he has witnessed how Bodo suffered from his Parkinson's disease for the past 15 years.
+In the courtyard at Rosental 10, Bodo Müller fell out of the window.
© Markus Götzfried
But the fact that Müller now saw no way out shocks him. "I visited him on Thursday at noon - and he wanted to visit me at the weekend..."
So everything seemed quite normal on Thursday. Bodo, who lived near the Viktualienmarkt, took his walker for a walk through the old town. In the afternoon, according to information from our newspaper, he went to physiotherapy at Rosental. In the practice, which is located above a branch of Trachten-Angermaier, he then took the last step on earth.
+A single white rose in the courtyard commemorates Bodo Müller.
© Markus Götzfried
Lindinger: "Bodo left life of his own free will." In retrospect, he remembers that saying goodbye to his friend that noon was particularly heartfelt. And after the drama, Lindinger found a note from Bodo on the desk. The short message: "Thank you, Otto!"
Bodo wouldn't be Bodo if he hadn't left one last treat. On his gravestone at the Ostfriedhof, which he had erected years ago, a doughnut is depicted.
Munich footballers, businessmen and many more mourn
Footballers, innkeepers, business people, the better Munich society: Actually, Bodo Müller knew everyone in the city - and vice versa, everyone knew him. This is also reflected in the shocked reactions: his death leaves many Munich residents perplexed.
Uli Hoeness, honorary president of FC Bayern, said: "FC Bayern has lost a loyal fan and very good friend in Bodo Müller. It was always the highlight of the carnival season when he spoiled the employees in our office with his cakes and doughnuts created especially for our association."
Bodo Müller was an ardent fan of FC Bayern Munich
Müller had been a member of FC Bayern for over 40 years and, until his serious illness, was also a regular guest at matches at the Olympic Stadium and the Allianz Arena.
Former Wiesn boss Gabriele Weishäupl is also deeply saddened. She tells our newspaper: "Bodo was a legendary figure - I've never seen someone like him." She remembers not only his creative cakes, but also his Christmas market stall near the Ruffinihaus. "I saw him there a lot. There was always an incredible amount of joie de vivre around him. And he was always generous."
Ex-Wiesn boss Gabriele Weishäupl: "He was a legend."
Joy: Everyone who knew Bodo Müller talks about this again and again. "It wasn't easy for him, because he was an orphan," reports his friend Günther Grauer. "But he didn't let it get him down."
He met Bodo 25 years ago, they were neighbors and both carnival princes. Today, Grey is president of the Narrhalla. "I'm fascinated by the fact that he always knew a joke," he says. Because: "I can imagine that the disease makes you despair."
Baker Bodo always had a joke ready
But Bodo fought - and rolled through the city with his walker until the end, preferably through his neighborhood, the Viktualienmarkt. Waiter Blerim Berisha knows baker Bodo with his funny hats. When our newspaper meets him at the beer garden on Friday afternoon, he still remembers his last visit to him - that was only on Wednesday. "He would come by every few days and make jokes. I cried a lot when I learned of his death."
*Editor's note: Suicide
Normally, our newspaper does not report on suicides. Exceptions are cases that are in the public eye.
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