Bang Your Head Festival - Promoter Horst Franz Succumbs To Cancer

Seemingly always with a ball cap, and a smile on his face, as he sat onstage, or stood in the wings, of the giant Balingen stage, Horst Franz lived and breathed Bang Your Head. 

The pandemic took away his livelihood and during that time, Horst was diagnosed with extreme heart failure (just 10% cardiac output from the left side) and then leukemia. As a result of his failing health, the festival, which he'd run hands-on for 24 years, was a mere afterthought.  

Although a trio of bone marrow donors were found and a transplant initially looked successful, his health took a turn for the worse and now the mild-mannered, fun-loving guy who gave many bands their initial foray into German metal festivals, is gone. 

BraveWords would like to express condolences to his wife Ines, family and friends.