“Adieu” – with these words and a picture from days gone by, Torsun Burkhardt said goodbye to his fans and friends on Instagram. The image, which his wife Selina writes as an addendum to his final words, was chosen by the musician himself – just like the wording. Burkhardt died of cancer on December 30, 2023.
“Dear friends and comrades, there is no good way to say what I want to say to you, so I will try to be brief. Torsun died peacefully in his sleep yesterday afternoon,” she wrote. “You would think that after being sick for so long you would be somehow prepared for it… But that’s not the case. We’re sad and shocked, but also kind of happy because he’s had enough of cancer and even though we’re not ready, he’s always had it.”
Torsun Burkhardt’s open approach to his cancer
Burkhardt announced on March 6, 2023 that he had cancer. He repeatedly discussed his illness in public, for example in social media postings or in interviews. In 2023 he spoke to the “taz” about his situation. In the interview he revealed that it was esophageal cancer with metastases to the liver. “I’m a bit lucky because I’m not afraid of death, and I hope it stays that way. As long as that’s the case, I can handle everything quite well,” Burkhardt said at the time. “But who knows whether that won’t change again. That’s why I prefer to be open from the start, even with this ambivalence in my feelings.”
He knew for a long time that cancer would be invincible. At Christmas he published a post with the words “Last Christmas”. There was no doubt about how sadly ambiguous that was. Fans and friends now say goodbye to him under the same posting: “Fighted like a champion and left with his head held high. All respect to Torsun and his family. Rest in Power!” writes one person.
With Egotronic, which he founded in 2001, Torsun Burkhardt combined techno, electro and punk – and in a highly political way. In 2022 he announced the dissolution of Egotronic, but had already launched a new project: Torsun & The Stereotronics. The self-titled debut album was released on May 12, 2023 on the Hamburg label Audiolith, where Burkhardt had also released his records with Egotronic for many years.