Pál Szécsi

Szécsi Pál 1944– 1974 Was A Hungarian Pop Singer Arguably One Of The Most Popular Of All Times Achieving Unprecedenced Cult Status During His Lifetime. Szécsi Was Born On The 19th March 1944 In Budapest Hungary. His Father Ferenc Szécsi A Professor Of Linguistics Was Shot In The Last Months Of World War II. His Mother Gave One-Year-Old Szécsi And His Two Siblings To Foster Parents And During The Revolution Of 1956 Fled The Country For The USA Through Austria. She Travelled With Szécsi's Older Sister Until They Reached The Railway Station In Vienna But She Left Her There Eventually Leaving Kati And Pál In Hungary. These Events Later Resulted In Serious Psychological Illness And Nerve Problems For Szécsi As He Grew Up. He Was Taken Into State Care Where He Remained Until He Was Sixteen. After Leaving He Worked As A Labourer At Several Places Until At A Workplace Meeting His Engaging Style And Was Taken Notice Of By The Assembled Members. Inspired By This Szécsi Became A Model And Quickly Became Quite Successful. On New Year's Eve 1965 He Took Part In A Fashion Show Organised In Hotel Gellért. After The Event He Went Into The Hotel Bar And Sang Three Songs. Soon Afterward Through The Efforts Of One Of The Patrons Of The Bar Szécsi Was Introduced To Júlia Benk Who Became His Singing Teacher And Under Whose Tutelage Szécsi Went On To Begin His Professional Career. László Bánki A Talent Scout Working At The Hungarian National Television Was In Search Of Young Talent For The Forthcoming Táncdalfesztivál And Benk Recommended Szécsi. Invited To Perform At The Festival Szécsi Sang "Csak Egy Tánc Volt" At The Show And This Performance Brought Immediate Popularityl He Became A Household Name In Hungary. His Success Was Further Established Through His Covers Of Italian Pop Songs Such As Sergio Endrigo's "L' Arca Di Noe" Which Became "Kósza Szél". Trying To Gain International Fame Szécsi Also Produced An Album Released In Germany Under The Name Paul Moro But It Was Unsuccessful. Szécsi's Growing Domestic Popularity Was Increasingly Hard To Bear For The Mentally Fragile Singer And This - Coupled With Severe Alcoholism And Several Failures In His Private Life Including The Suicide Of One Of His Lovers Actress Edit Domján - Led To Szécsi Becoming More And More Closed Off From The Outer World. He Attempted Suicide Eight Times But Always Asked For Help At The Last Minute. His Ninth Attempt On The 30th April 1974 Was Successful. Szécsi Was Thirty Years Old. He Was Buried In The Farkasréti Cemetery In Budapest. His Burial Turned Into A Hysterical Scandal With Hundreds Of Fans Trying To Rush To His Catafalque. His Death Shocked The Masses Of Fans Creating Legends Myths And Conspiracy Theories Immediately After His Death. The Play Szécsi Pál Szerelmei Was Written In His Memory Describing His Six Love Affairs Framed By Six Suicide Attempts And Featuring Seventeen Of His Songs. The Szécsi Pál Award Founded By His Relatives Has Been Given Every Year Since 2007. read less