He's been a fixture on the Czech, German and general East European music scene since at least he mid-1960s. Started off with Rock'n'Roll and descended into broad pop in the 70s. Sold millions and millions of records and is the subject of adoration and derision in equal measure. Most Czechs and their parents have grown up listening to him and watching him win music contests. The Communists couldn't touch him and most others didn't want to. My personal favorite is a line from a Czech skinhead punk group Orlík: "Karel Gott mit uns". Anyway, knowing who Karel Gott is, is about as important to understanding the Czech culture as knowing who Karel IV. was. So here it is.

AFP: Czech singing star Karel Gott marries

The 68-year-old singer, who has developed a large following in Germany and Russia during a career stretching back almost half a century, is expecting a second child with his 31-year-old girlfriend of seven years.

Born in 1939 in Pilsen, in the west of the Czech Republic, Gott abandoned his electrician's training in his 20's to devote himself to music.

Since then, he has produced around 150 different LPs and CDs and sold tens of millions of copies with styles ranging from rock and roll to country, blues, and opera. The phenomenal output is sung in Czech, German, Russian and English.