Ella Mann

**Ella Katrina Mann** (13 May 1985 – 17 March 2012) was a Lungarian singer and model, best known for being a member of the girl group VENOM from 2007 to 2009.

On the night of 16 March 2012, Mann passed out in the bathroom of a Munbach nightclub. She was not rushed to the hospital until four hours later, where she later died of alcohol poisoning. Her death urged the City Parliament of Munbach to pass "Ella's Law", which made it a crime in Munbach to acknowledge an unconscious person and not help them seek medical help.

## Life and career

### Early life

Mann was born on 13 May 1985 in Schauwe, Halverbach to parents Markus and Daria Mann (née *Klimpflief*). Her father worked as a railroad conductor, while her mother worked in retail. She had two younger brothers, Markus Jr. and Tomas, born in 1987 and 1990, respectively.

Mann had a difficult childhood. Her father struggled with alcoholism, and frequently beat her mother. Her mother eventually left the family in 1997, and later died of a heroin overdose in 1999. Her father was arrested for drug-related charges in 2000, and Mann and her brothers subsequently moved in with their maternal grandmother.

Mann began primary school in 1991, where she struggled academically but became interested in performing. She graduated from primary school in 1997, and graduated from secondary school in 2001. She later began attending the Schauwe School of Music and Dramatic Arts, which she graduated from in 2004. After graduating high school, Mann moved to Munbach to pursue a career as a model and musician.

### 2004–2009: Early career and work with VENOM

After arriving in Munbach, Mann began working as a professional model to support herself, while also performing in nightclubs at night. For two years, Mann worked as a stripper at "seedy" strip clubs in Lower Munbach, although this was not revealed until after her death.

In 2006, Mann received an audition at Intercontinental Music Lungary for an upcoming girl group through her modeling connections. She continued to pass through the rounds of auditions, and ultimately was announced as one of the three members of the group, now called VENOM, along with Lena Karuschmann and Anastazia Kortscheck. The trio released their debut single "Mamma" the following year. "Mamma" went on to become a widely successful single throughout Lungary, and became well-known for its provocative music video. Following the success of the single and music video, the group began adopting a highly sexual image, and started to cause minor controversies for their red carpet outfits and antics. Their debut self-titled studio album was released in November 2007, and reached the peak position on the Lungarian albums chart.

In 2008, VENOM was announced as one of the twelve competitors in *Lüngarderisch Song 2009*, the Lungarian national selection for the World Song Contest. Their entry for the competition, "Soldiers", was later unveiled to the public in January 2009, and debuted atop the Lungarian singles chart. They went on to win the competition, earning the right to represent Lungary in the World Song Contest 2009. At the contest, they went on to win, becoming the first girl group to ever win and the sixth entrant from Lungary to win. Following their win, their second studio album *Soldiers of Hate* was released in July 2009. In December 2009, it was revealed that Mann would be leaving the group due to "personal issues". She was replaced by Paulina Schuppertsch.

### 2009–2012: Personal struggles and later career

Following the announcement of Mann's departure, several news sources speculated what the true reasons were. It was later confirmed in January 2010 that she was checking into rehab for addiction to alcohol and cocaine. She successfully completed rehab in November 2010, but later relapsed in January 2011. She returned to rehab that month, but left before her program ended in March 2011.

After leaving rehab for the second time, Mann revealed that she was planning on returning to music. She released the single "Reborn" off of her upcoming debut solo studio album, which did not chart in any country. She later independently released her debut self-titled extended play, which performed poorly with both audiences and critics. In January 2012, she revealed that she was still recording music for her debut studio album.

## Death

On the night of 16 March 2012, Mann had gone alone to the Sandstorm night club in the Wro neighborhood of Munbach. Around 11PM, she passed out in the bathroom. Witnesses said that she had seemed extremely intoxicated, and could not properly hold a conversation. Many onlookers had seen her pass out, and had seen her body laying on the floor unconscious, yet neglected to do anything. After over four hours, she was rushed to University of Munbach Hospital and Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead at 3:46AM due to extreme alcohol poisoning.

News of Mann's death broke that morning, with several notable musicians such as her former bandmates Lena Karuschmann and Anastazia Kortscheck sending their condolences. Her death urged the City Parliament of Munbach to pass "Ella's Law", which made it a crime in Munbach to acknowledge an unconscious person and not help them seek medical help. Mann's former band VENOM performed at her funeral on 21 March 2012.

## Discography

### Extended plays

* Label: Independent
* Format: Digital download, CD