Jimmy Zámbó
Jimmy Zámbó | |
---|---|
Born |
Budapest, Hungary | January 20, 1958
Died |
January 2, 2001 42) Budapest, Hungary | (aged
Occupation | pop singer |
Years active | 1975–2001 |
Jimmy Zámbó (born Imre Zámbó, January 20, 1958 – January 2, 2001) was a Hungarian pop singer. His popularity and impressive four-octave range earned him the nickname "The King".[1]
Career
Zámbó started his singing career in the Hungarian State Radio Children's Choir. Between 1982 and 1986 he worked in the US on the club circuit before returning to Hungary. His breakthrough came in the early 1990s, when he was voted Hungary's singer of the year in 1993. His 2000 album Christmas With Jimmy had been Hungary's top-selling record for many weeks before his death. All his albums have gone platinum. Between March 2000 and his death he hosted his own popular show on commercial TV station RTL Klub.[1]
Death
Zámbó died on January 2, 2001, by a gunshot wound to the head. Budapest police said that he leaned out of a window and fired two shots from his 9mm Beretta at a neighbor's rooster whose crowing was disturbing his sleep, in an effort to scare it away. Then, to show his wife that there were no more bullets in the gun, he removed the magazine, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. However, there was a bullet still in the chamber, which fired and struck him in the temple. He was taken to the hospital,[2] where he died hours later.[1] He had consumed alcohol, though not an excessive amount. No drugs were found in his body. It was ruled as an accidental death.[2]