lit a candle 8h ago78. Didn't know the name but Katapult's Džůbox was on every tape my uncle had.
Their story
Pavel Půta was a Czech bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and lyricist whose work bridged Plzeň's folk scene, rock bands such as Katapult and Odyssea, children's music and late-career albums of his own. He died on the evening of 12 October 2026 at the age of 78. His long time collaborator…
Pavel Půta was a Czech bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and lyricist whose work bridged Plzeň's folk scene, rock bands such as Katapult and Odyssea, children's music and late-career albums of his own. He died on the evening of 12 October 2026 at the age of 78. His long time collaborator Andy Seidl announced the death on social media the following day.
Půta was born on 14 March 1948 in Pačejov, in the Klatovy district of western Bohemia. He came to notice as a bass player in the 1970s, first in the orchestra of Svatopluk Čech and then with the group Society. Before the end of that decade he formed a folk duo with Stanislav Staněk. They released the single Červená knihovna in 1979, but the partnership did not earn them a living. Staněk later joined Petr Novák's band as a guitarist, while Půta took an engagement at Divadlo Pod lampou in Plzeň and later founded the theatre studio Parník with Andy Seidl.
As a lyricist he wrote for a wide range of Czech performers. His texts for the rock band Katapult included songs such as A co rock'n'roll, Džůbox, Inzerát, Komár, Modré z nebe, Na to zapomeň and Někdy příště, and he also wrote for Odyssea and other artists including Miroslav Hajšman. He set children's poems to music and worked with the fairy tale author and illustrator Vítězslava Klimtová; their collaboration appeared on the album Ukolébavky lesních skřítků, aneb pohlazení před usnutím.
He continued to perform in later years, including in the project Na vlastní uši band with Seidl and the journalist Josef Klíma, which played only original songs. In 2019 he released Reparát on his own label, eleven songs with his lyrics recorded with fellow musicians. Shortly before his death he completed a further album with Na vlastní uši band, due to be issued by Galén; it was produced by Václav Neckář Jr., who died in August 2026.
Seidl remembered him as a wonderful musician, songwriter and lyricist, and above all a kind and warm hearted man. Půta's cause of death was not made public. Czech outlets including Novinky.cz and Around Prague reported the news, and his Czech Wikipedia article was updated to record the date.
Biography adapted from Czech Wikipedia (Pavel Půta), Novinky.cz (Jaroslav Špulák), Around Prague, Newsy Today, Katapult lyrics listings. Wikipedia ↗
In their own words
“Sad news: on the evening of 12 October my best friend and colleague Pavel Puta passed away - a wonderful musician, songwriter and lyricist, composer, and above all a kind and warm-hearted man. Pavel, thank you for everything, it was a great adventure.”
Andy Seidl on social media, October 2026, as reported by Around Prague
Photos
1by People Forever
Same here, his lyrics were the whole soundtrack of my teens.