David Hasselhoff at the Berlin Wall (Getty Images).
In case you didn't know, we have David Hasselhoff to thank for the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Still, the "Baywatch" star doesn't want to see the final fragment of the border between the former East and West Germany go down.
You see, back in the late 1980s, The Hoff had a huge hit in Germany – "Looking for Freedom" – and, on New Year's Eve leading into 1989, he stood atop the wall and performed for the divided country. After eight weeks burning up the pop charts, the song became the soundtrack to the revolution that eventually reunited East and West.
Despite having talked about his role in that moment in history for years, the star showed rare humility in discussing it on Sunday. "I didn't realize the significance of 'Looking for Freedom' in East Germany until a few months ago," Hasselhoff said from the East Side Gallery, a 3/4-mile stretch of wall, on Sunday. "On my last tour, there were thousands of Germans holding up signs saying, 'We love you, thank you for Mauerfall [the fall of the wall].'"
Nearly 25 years after the historic event, the Knight Rider himself is campaigning to preserve the remnants of that mural-covered wall, which is being threatened by developers wishing to knock it down for luxury apartment buildings. "This last piece of the wall is really sacred, it's the last memorial to the people who died and to the perseverance of freedom," he said while comparing plans to remove part of the wall to destroying the September 11 memorial at Ground Zero in New York City.
The 60-year-old star also promised that if talks continue, "we'll come back with a huge concert and really rock Berlin."
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