Niki Lauda is dead
21.05.2019
V Many thought it was indestructible. Even serious accidents and strokes of fate could not get him down for a long time. Now Niki Lauda has lost the fight after all. The three-time Formula 1 world champion died on Monday at the age of 70, as the airline Laudamotion officially announced on behalf of his family died peacefully with his family on May 20th, 2019. His unique successes as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, ”said the announcement.
Lauda with health problems
Lauda leaves two sons from his first marriage, from his marriage to Birgit Lauda eight-year-old twins. “His tireless drive, straightforwardness and courage remain a role model and benchmark for all of us. Away from the public eye, he was a loving and caring husband, father, and grandfather. We will miss him very much ”, so the family statement.
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World Champion 1975, 1977 and 1984 - Niki Lauda became a legend not only because of his success on the racetrack.
Last summer Lauda had a lung transplant that saved his life for a short time. But after the serious operation, the Viennese never really got back on his feet. He had to go back to the intensive care unit several times after the flu.
The kidneys were also causing problems due to the high dose of medication. After the serious fire accident at the Nürburgring in 1976, you have long been Lauda's Achilles heel. In 1997 and 2005, the Viennese had new kidneys transplanted, the first donated by brother Florian, the second by Mrs. Birgit.
Most recently, Lauda had to go to the Cereneo rehab clinic in Vitznau onLake Lucerne was transferred to the University Clinic in Zurich for dialysis, where he ultimately died. The family did not provide any information about the exact cause of death. Just this much: “In the past ten months we have been by his side every minute. We laughed, cried, hoped and suffered with him, but in the end Niki left his strength yesterday. ”
Global superstar resigns
Despite the difficult rehab, Lauda did not give up the fight until the end on. On his 70th birthday on February 22nd, the famous patient thanked the ORF for the congratulations again in a short message: “I'll be back and it's going uphill full speed,” Lauda said at the time.
The fans will miss his clear, honest words in all situations. Whenever the glamor circus threatened to go crazy, Lauda had the right classifications ready. Even after his job as RTL commentator at the end of 2017, Lauda always remained a sought-after man in the paddock. In the future, the motorsport world will have to do without the outspoken speaker with the red cap.
