The life and death of Frank Farian, 'Hit Man' behind Boney M and Milli Vanilli

No matter how old you are, it is impossible not to have heard songs like 'Rasputin', 'Ma Baker' or 'Daddy Cool'.

They were three of the catchiest songs from 'Boney M', a pop group in the late 70s that sold more than 150 records with these three songs alone.

It's less likely that those who missed the 90s will know 'Milli Vanilli'. The duo proved to be a fraud after taking the world by storm.

'Boney M' and 'Milli Vanilli' had in common that there was a clever music producer behind them: the German Frank Farian.

He became known to everyone (and deservedly) as 'The Hit Man'. Now, one of pop music's greatest figures has passed away.

Frank Farian, whose real name was Frank Reuther, died at the age of 82 in his home in Miami, as confirmed by the family in a statement and reported by media such as 'TMZ'.

For decades, 'The Hit Man' was associated with success, controversy, and money. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the German producer had a net worth of 40 million dollars.

After 'Boney M,' Frank Farian will be remembered for bringing Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan to the Olympus of music with 'Milli Vanilli'. An extremely handsome duo whose debut, 'Girl You Know It's True', sold seven million copies and earned them a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990.

But everything fell apart when it was discovered that neither one of the duo actually sang. Frank Farian had hired John Davis to manipulate their songs with vocal synchronization.

'Milli Vanilli' fell out of favor, returned its awards, and was canceled entirely. In 1998, Rob Pilatus died of an overdose at the age of 35.

Curiously, the producer always received more praise than criticism for getting two handsome men who didn't even sing up to the levels of fame usually reserved for the gods.

If we forget the fraud for a moment, we have to respect that Frank Farian worked with tremendously talented people. Among them were Stevie Wonder and Meat Loaf.

He also worked with Terence Trent D'Arby, who shot to fame in the late 80s and is now known as Sananda Maitreya.

Next, in the 90s, came Eurodance or Europop, with LaBouche for example, the group that sang 'Be My Lover.'

His secret? An incredible nose for talent, an above-average ingenuity for marketing, and an incomparable eye for an industry in which he was responsible for the sales of 800 million discs. Tremendous data.

The producer leaves behind three daughters and a son whom he had in two different marriages throughout his life. In the photo, he goes to a 90s party with the singer Ingrid Segieth.