Fritz Wepper died in March: his widow looks back on difficult times

Many celebrities have died in 2024, including the German acting legend Fritz Wepper (1941-2024). He died on March 25th at the age of 82 in a hospice in Upper Bavaria. The time before and after his death was a challenging time for his widow Susanne Kellermann (50), as she describes at the end of the year. It will be the first Christmas without her Fritz, with whom she had her daughter Filippa.

The last few years with the actor, who suffered from cancer, needed heart surgery and then suffered severe sepsis, took a toll on her. “I knew that Fritz was heading towards the abyss, and that was hard to bear,” she says. Even though his death did not come as a surprise, the time afterwards was still very difficult. “Caring for Filippa kept me on track in the first few weeks after his death. But my daughter also helped me a lot and I learned a lot from her.” Filippa’s view of death helped her. “And the fantastic work in palliative medicine has also benefited me. I would like to get involved in supporting and promoting this area.”

As many relatives know, there was a lot to organize in the beginning. For example, she cleaned out his house. “It was very difficult for me, but I did it very harmoniously with his daughter Sophie. We also cried together,” Kellermann looks back.

Almost nine months after the drastic loss, she can slowly look forward again with more optimism and is also concentrating on her job: “I am a cinematographer, director, producer and now I am working more as a photographer again.”

The love between Fritz Wepper and Susanne Kellermann caused a stir. Not just because of the big age difference – when he is said to have met the camerawoman at a concert in 2009, he had already been married to Angela von Morgen (1942-2019) for 30 years. Daughter Sophie Wepper (43), who is also an actress, comes from this marriage. Kellermann gave birth to Filippa in 2011, but Wepper returned to his first wife and lived with her until her death in 2019. Afterwards he and Kellermann got together again as a couple and got married.