Great sadness for Horst Franz: A real mover and shaker in the rock and metal scene has died. His festival was canceled not just for this year - but forever.
Rottenburg am Neckar - The rock and metal scene mourns Horst Franz. According to
Schwarzwälder Bote,
he was 60 years old. The news of his death has been public for a few days, but the significance is only gradually becoming clear. He was the founder and organizer of the “Bang Your Head” festival in Balingen and the offshoot “Rock Of Ages” in Seebronn near Rottenburg am Neckar. The really big ones came to Baden-Württemberg for these events, thanks to Franz and his team: Alice Cooper, Status Quo, Scorpions, Motörhead, Nightwish, Uriah Heep, Slayer, Judas Priest, Journey and Europe are just a small selection.
“A guy like a closet, long gray-blonde hair, a pearl in the shape of a skull in his beard: That's how many people will remember him. The black peaked cap on his head, a thousand ideas in his head – that was Horst Franz”: This is how the local
Schwäbisches Tagblatt
describes him in an obituary. Franz was not only a real doer, he was also a brand.
“Bang Your Head” and “Rock Of Ages” promoter suffered from serious health problems
But his drive has been curbed by massive health problems in recent years. As the
Zollern-Alb-Kurier
, who visited him at his home in 2022, wrote at the time, he was initially diagnosed with extreme heart failure on the left side. During therapy, according to the report, the news of a rare form of leukemia with little chance of recovery followed. Many have suffered with him since then - now he has lost the fight.
The social media mourning posts are numerous and also come from artists who performed with him. “THANK YOU Horst Franz for your passion, your inspiration and your power to have enriched so many people over the years,” writes the band Axxis.
The “Bang Your Head” festival took place for the last time in 2019, Corona was the beginning of the end. “Rock Of Ages”, on the other hand, was resumed in 2023 and should also take place in 2024, at least the first acts were announced with the aforementioned Axxis and Armored Saint. That was in September, and since then doubts have arisen as to whether the event would even take place. A few days after Franz's death, which were probably necessary to process the shock and discuss what to do next, the "Rock Of Ages" team reported on social media with a decision: The festival will not only be canceled in 2024 . But it will never happen again.
Mourning for Horst Franz: “Idealist who always followed his heart and did what he believed in”
“A few days ago he finally lost the fight for his life that he had been waging for so long,” it is said. “The scene is losing a great pioneer and one of the few true and unwavering idealists who always followed his heart and did what he believed in - even when no one else did it except him. We ourselves are losing an unconventional boss who always gave us new adventures, a valued friend who was always there for us when we needed it, and a beloved family member who leaves a great void behind. The ROCK OF AGES, on the other hand, loses its head, heart and soul all in one.”
Rock Of Ages is canceled after Horst Franz's death - forever
There is talk of a clear conclusion: “We therefore have to inform you at this point that the ROA 2024 has finally been canceled. There are no plans to continue in the future either.” The reactions mix sadness for Horst Franz with other emotions. One visitor writes: “It’s so, so sad. It was Horst's life's work and now it should all be over? You don't even want to think about the fact that this simply shouldn't exist anymore. We will all miss him very much. Everything was definitely well thought out and discussed, but as always in life, you only look at it, but you don't see it. It was an incredibly great time. Many thanks to everyone who made these mega-great festivals possible in any way. Very well done! RIP Horst!” There is also great sadness for acting legend Wichart von Roëll.