Milan Dufek

Milan Dufek (6 May 1944 in Prague – 17 November 2005 in San Andrés, Colombia)[1][2] was a Czech singer, composer, guitarist and flautist. He was a co-founder of the Czech pop folk band Rangers.[3]

Dufek and Antonín Hájek founded The Rangers in 1964. The band was renamed Plavci (Swimmers) in 1971 due to concerns about sharing its name with "American killers in Vietnam" (the United States Army Rangers).[2] Band member Radek Tomášek left Plavci in 1973 due to rivalry with Dufek.[citation needed] The band's name reverted to Rangers in 1989.[4]

Dufek was the composer of several successful songs.[1] He founded the Nadace Dětské Srdce (Children's Heart Foundation) to support treatment for pediatric heart defects.[5]

Dufek died in 2005 in a scuba diving accident on the island of San Andrés, Colombia, when he collided with a boat.[2][5]

  1. ^ a b "Milan Dufek (6. 5. 1944–17. 11. 2005)" (in Czech). Gladius-internet.cz. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Historie kapely Rangers – Plavci" [Band history Rangers – Plavci] (in Czech). Rangers Band. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  3. ^ Conc, Jiří (19 November 2005). "Milan Dufek z Rangers zahynol v Kolumbii" [Milan Dufek of Rangers killed in Colombia] (in Czech). CountryWorld.cz. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Kapelník skupiny Rangers zemřel v Kolumbii" [Rangers group bandleader died in Colombia] (in Czech). Borgis. 19 November 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  5. ^ a b Hučín, Honza (25 November 2005). "Milan Dufek – stěžejní součástka Rangers" [Milan Dufek – an essential component of the Rangers] (in Czech). Pavel Rada. Retrieved 13 March 2014.