David Šmídt

David Šmídt's date of birth, birthplace and family background have not been made public. Reports of his death on 21 October 2026 gave his age as 49. He was a keyboardist and pianist.

Details of Šmídt's schooling and any formal musical or professional education have not been made public.

Eddie Stoilow formed in Prague in 2003. Novinky and Deník report that Šmídt joined on keyboards in 2004, while TN.cz and Evropa 2 describe him as a co-founder. He was one of the band's main writers and, with singer Honza Žampa, its producer, working in the band's own studio.

The band played Czech festivals from 2005, toured with Support Lesbiens, No Name and B.S.P., and released four studio albums: The Best Of (2009), Oh My God! (2011), Sorry (2013, Warner Music) and Jupiter (2016). Its best known songs include "Hey You", "Floating", "Frozen", "Baby", "Piano Piece" and "With You", which in 2018 topped the Czech chart of the most played songs on radio. In 2012 the band won the Breakthrough of the Year (Skokan roku) category at the Český slavík awards.

Goalkeeper Petr Čech played drums with Eddie Stoilow in Wrocław during Euro 2012 and at Rock for People in 2013, and appeared in the videos for "Baby" and "Piano Piece". The band opened for Simply Red at Forum Karlín in Prague in October 2015 and supported The Rasmus on a European tour in 2019. In April 2020 Šmídt left the band with Jakub Lenz, Martin Puškař and Lukáš Kuneš, citing long-running internal disagreements.

Šmídt worked in commercial radio alongside the band. By 2019 he was programme director of Evropa 2 and Dance Rádio, stations of the Active group owned by Daniel Křetínský's Czech Media Invest. In November 2019 Active director Martina Říhová announced that he would take a newly created post as head of radios, replacing long-serving Frekvence 1 director Miroslav Škoda from December 2019. In that role he oversaw Evropa 2, Frekvence 1, Rádio Bonton and Dance Rádio, with the aim of making the stations complement and support one another. At the time of his death he was still described as director of Evropa 2, Frekvence 1 and Rádio Bonton.

After leaving Eddie Stoilow, Šmídt and guitarist Jakub Lenz launched The Carsleepers in June 2020. The project released genre-crossing singles with mysterious Native American inspired visuals, and its members used the pseudonyms Sam David and Sahimi while inviting different guest singers. Their identity as former Eddie Stoilow members was revealed later. Singer Honza Petržílka joined during recording, and the debut album Shaman, with eleven tracks including a collaboration with singer Marcell, came out in April 2022. The band said the album had been finished in winter but its release was postponed because of the war in Ukraine.

Šmídt was married to Adéla and had children; their number and names have not been made public. Friends described him as kind and friendly. Antonín Baudyš wrote that his wife and children had borne his unexpected illness bravely alongside him in his final months.

In interviews Šmídt argued that Czech bands did not need foreign producers to sound good, saying the band did not suffer from the Czech complex that only British or American productions sound best. He valued taking time over records and having the freedom of the band's own studio. With Eddie Stoilow he supported the Movember campaign against prostate cancer, joking that girls had their Avon and the band had Movember. With The Carsleepers he spoke of recording with maximum freedom and without prejudice.

Šmídt is remembered as a writer and producer behind a run of English-language Czech pop-rock hits that were staples of Czech radio in the 2010s, and as one of the key managers of Czech commercial radio after 2019. Singer Honza Žampa wrote that Šmídt had left behind a huge body of work and that he was proud they had created it together. Antonín Baudyš credited him with helping make radio listening a pleasure.

With Eddie Stoilow, Šmídt won the Breakthrough of the Year (Skokan roku) category at the Český slavík awards in 2012. The band was nominated for Discovery of the Year by Report magazine and TV Óčko, and received two nominations at Slovakia's MUSIQ1 Awards in 2010. "With You" topped the Czech radio airplay chart in 2018.

Albums with Eddie Stoilow: The Best Of (2009), Oh My God! (2011), Sorry (2013) and Jupiter (2016). Album with The Carsleepers: Shaman (2022). Notable videos include "Frozen" (2011), "Baby" (2013) and "Piano Piece", both featuring Petr Čech, "With You" (2018) and The Carsleepers' "Tuesday". In 2018 he appeared on Evropa 2's V náladě programme talking about the music he listened to.

No significant controversies involving Šmídt have been reported. The 2020 split of Eddie Stoilow was attributed by the band's label to long-running internal disagreements; the departing members said they were leaving without unnecessary gestures and honoured existing concert commitments.

David Šmídt died in the early morning of 21 October 2026, aged 49, after a serious illness that friends described as unexpected and that he had faced in the preceding months. The specific illness and the place of death have not been made public. Antonín Baudyš announced the death on Facebook, and iDNES.cz and TN.cz confirmed it through sources close to him. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of writing. His death followed those of Evropa 2 presenters Patrik Hezucký (December 2025) and Luděk Hrzal (August 2026).