Daniel Küblböck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel Küblböck
Küblböck in concert in 2016
Born	Daniel Dominik Küblböck (1985-08-27)27 August 1985 Hutthurm, Lower Bavaria, West Germany
Disappeared	9 September 2018 (aged 33) Labrador Sea about 185 km north of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Status	Declared dead in absentia 10 March 2021
Other names	Daniel K. Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck Lana Kaiser
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2002–2018
Musical career
Genres	Pop
Instruments	Vocals
Associated acts	Dieter Bohlen

Daniel Dominik Kaiser-Küblböck (born Küblböck; 27 August 1985 – 9 September 2018) was a German pop singer. He placed third in the television talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar in 2003.

In September 2018, he went missing at sea off Canada while travelling on a cruise ship. He was declared dead on 10 March 2021. Shortly before the disappearance, Küblböck stated he wanted to live a female identity and began using the name Lana Kaiser.

Early life

Küblböck had four siblings and was of German and Italian descent. He completed secondary school ("Hauptschule") in 2001.

Career

Küblböck rose to stardom in late 2002 when he participated in the first season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS). He gained the most viewer votes in three of the nine rounds of the competition and received the second-most votes in a further three rounds. He finished the season in third place overall.

After DSDS, Küblböck signed a contract with BMG. By June 2004, he had released four singles and one album. In August 2004, the film Daniel – Der Zauberer (Daniel the Wizard) was released which starred Küblböck as a fictionalized version of himself. The film was critically panned and bombed at the box office.

Küblböck performing in 2009

In 2005, Küblböck appeared in the sixth season of the German version of Big Brother, and in 2015, he took part in the eighth season of the German version of Let's Dance, where he finished sixth, together with his dancing partner Otlile Mabuse. In 2013, Küblböck wanted to participate in the German national final for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with his new song Be a Man, but was rejected by the jury.

Küblböck invested the proceeds from his album Positive Energie amounting to around one million euros in a solar plant in Lower Bavaria, which brought him high profits. In September 2003, he launched a perfume line for children in three fragrances under his name.

Personal life

On 24 February 2004, Küblböck was injured when he collided with a truck while driving a car without a licence. He was fined €25,000 and sentenced to eight hours of community service.

In 2010, Küblböck came out as gay, after previously describing himself as bisexual.

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2018 disappearance

Küblböck was a private passenger on the cruise ship AIDAluna that left Hamburg on 29 August 2018, bound for New York City. At around 5 a.m. (local time) on 9 September, he jumped overboard. The vessel was in open waters about 185 km north of St. John's in the Labrador Sea. The water temperature was about 10 °C (50 °F).

The Canadian Coast Guard launched a search operation, assisted by the cruise ships AIDAluna and MS Zuiderdam. On 10 September, the search was abandoned, because the maximum survival time in cold water was exceeded. Under German law, a person missing at sea can be declared dead after six months have elapsed and a motion is filed by an eligible party. In August 2020 an application was submitted to declare Küblböck dead or to present evidence by 30 September 2020 that he is alive. On 10 March 2021, the Amtsgericht (district court) Passau declared Küblböck dead, setting his death date as 9 September 2018, 8:55 a.m. local time.

Gender identity / Lana Kaiser

Before the disappearance, Küblböck talked about wanting to live out a female identity. The self-chosen name was "Lana Kaiser". Several posts were published on social media in which Küblböck announced that he "would have surgery as a woman" and also said that his hormone therapy had already started. Shortly before the disappearance, Küblböck created an Instagram account with the name rosa_luxem, on which hashtags such as #transformation, #transexuelle or #womenarestrong were used.

In 2020, the artist Philipp Gufler created a 13-minute short film and a magazine about Lana Kaiser. The film was shown among others at the 67th Short Film Festival in Oberhausen and in the group exhibition Sweat in the Haus der Kunst, Munich.

Discography

Albums

Singles

DVDs

• My Life Is Magic (2004)
• Live on PE Tour 2003 (2004)
• Jazz Night (2007)
• Back to the Roots (2008)
• Jazz Meets Blues... wenn zwei sich verlieben (2009)
• Schrebergarten Berlin (2011)
• Diez años Kúblbóck – Ich versteh' nur Spanisch – Live (2013)

As member of "DSDS All-Stars" – season 1

As member of "4 United"

(project with Gracia Baur, Nektarios Bamiatzis and Stephanie Bruckmeyer)

Filmography

Films

• Daniel - Der Zauberer (starring)
• Crazy Race II (minor role)

TV series

• St. Angela (guest appearance)
• 2004: I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea