Zarah Leander

Zarah Leander was a Swedish singer and actress. Her greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA) Her involvement with UFA caused her films and lyrics to be identified as Nazi propaganda. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels dubbed her an "Enemy of Germany" for her behavior. Leander remained a controversial figure for the rest of her life. She was known for her confident style and her deep contralto voice, and was also known as a "female baritone". She died in 1981 at the age of 69. She is buried in the family cemetery in Karlstad, Sweden. She had two children with Nils Leander, who was her husband for most of her career. She also had a son with another man, who died in a car accident in 2000. She died of cancer in 2011 at age 83. She has a daughter and a son-in-law, both of whom are still living in the U.S. and have been married for more than 50 years.