Thousands pay respects to Gotthard’s Steve Lee
About 3,000 fans of Gotthard rocker Steve Lee, who died earlier this month in a motorcycle accident in Nevada, paid tribute to him on Sunday at the St Gotthard Pass.
Braving the cold, fog and freezing rain, Lee’s fans had travelled from not only many parts of Switzerland but also Italy, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
Two Capuchin monks led a service in memory of Lee near the Gotthard hospice at 2,106 metres above sea level.
In the presence of Lee’s partner, Brigitte Voss-Balzarini, and band members, they both paid their last respects.
“Steve’s voice fell silent from one moment to the next but it will always be linked with Gotthard, the name which the band made known around the world,” they said.
At the top of the pass a commemorative plaque will be set up next year as a tribute.
Lee’s ashes have been buried in the cemetery of Porza, a village which lies above Lugano in canton Ticino.
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