Irma Baltuttis
Elsbeth Johanna Irma Baltuttis (Lithuanian "Baltutis", September 28, 1920 – May 20, 1958) was a German singer and entertainer based in Leipzig, Germany. After some training in music during the Third Reich, her singing career took place entirely within the German Democratic Republic after the Soviet occupation of the East Zone. She was popular as a "hit diva" during her career. She died after she fell out of her apartment window in Leipzig. The fall was officially attributed to suicide, but doubts as to the veracity of this remained. Early life. Irma was born in the Leutzsch, district of  Leipzig to Ernst Baltuttis and Elsa Hamann. Her voice talent was recognized early on by her parents, who encouraged her and saw it that she took training in music. Family. In the early 1950s, she married a medical doctor named Max Herricht. The couple had no children. The marriage was not particularly happy: Herricht had a jealous streak, and Irma was said to flirt or entertain romantic relationships with musicians she worked with. Career. Discography. Due to issues with the history of East German pop music, it is difficult to compile an accurate or even adequate discography for Irma Baltuttis . Recordings of her music are even harder to come by than a list of her recordings. The following is only a tiny list—she was quite popular during her career as a "Schlager-Diva" (hit diva). Most or all of the following were originally released on the "Amiga" label, accompanied by the Kurt Henkels Dance Orchestra. Questions about her death. It was rumored that her jealous husband pushed her out of the window she supposedly jumped out of to her death. This rumor was fueled by the peculiar post-mortem circumstances: no autopsy was performed, nor a coroner's inquest  held, and her husband was remarkably taciturn about her death. Herricht was an important Communist Party member, and in a position to quash any official attention to Baltuttis's death.