Oskar Petr Dies: Czech Musician & ‘Teddy Bear’ Hitmaker

Czech musician Oskar Petr has died, according to reports from Czech news outlets. He was 73 years old. Petr, known for his work with the bands Marsyas and Jazz Q, as well as for writing songs for prominent Czech artists, passed away on April 29, 2026.

Seznam Zprávy first reported the news of Petr’s death on Tuesday. No cause of death has been publicly released.

A Career Spanning Folk Rock and Jazz

Born in Prague on May 16, 1952, Oskar Petr was a significant figure in the Czech music scene for decades. He first gained recognition as a member of the folk rock group Marsyas in the 1970s. He later collaborated with the band Jazz Q, led by pianist and entrepreneur Martin Kratochvíl.

Beyond his band affiliations, Petr established himself as a successful songwriter. He penned the song “Hříšná těla, křídla motýlí” (Sinful Bodies, Butterfly Wings) for Aneta Langerová’s debut album, Spousta andělů (A Lot of Angels). He also wrote “Chci zas v tobě spát” (I Want to Sleep in You Again) for David Koller, which appeared on Koller’s album David Koller, and “Medvídek” (Teddy Bear) for the band Lucie, featured on their album Větší než malé množství lásky (More Than a Small Amount of Love).

Oskar Petr složil filmovou hudbu (a napsal také píseň „Nevinná“) k filmu Účastníci zájezdu (2006) Michala Viewegha, který zrežíroval Jiří Vejdělek.

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In 2006, Petr composed the film score, including the song “Nevinná” (Innocent), for the film Účastníci zájezdu (Tour Participants), directed by Jiří Vejdělek and based on a work by Michal Viewegh.

Later Work and Recognition

Petr released three solo albums throughout his career: Krev, bláto, slzy (Blood, Mud, Tears) in 1994, Fabrica Atomica in 2003, and Jsme starý jako děti (We Are as Old as Children) in 2013.

He received the Cena hudební akademie (Music Academy Award) in the “song of the year” category in 1999 for “Medvídek” by Lucie. From 2016 until his death, Petr performed with Ondřej Hejma and Kateřina Pelíšková in the trio Marush.

According to the Czech Music Database, Petr was a musician, composer, visual artist, and photographer, and a founding member of Marsyas.