Ingo Koster (* January 27, 1950, in Gadebusch; † May 7, 2026 was a German singer, composer, and music producer whose career began in the 1960s in the GDR.

Koster spent his early youth in Berlin, where he was exposed to music at an early age. While taking piano lessons, he discovered his passion for the guitar. In 1966, thanks to director Jürgen Böttcher, he landed a small role in the DEFA film *Jahrgang 45*. In 1967, he joined the group *Thomas Natschinski und seine Gruppe* (formerly *Team 4*) as a singer and bassist; two years later, he achieved success with the song "Mokka-Milch-Eisbar."

Alongside his work in the music industry, Koster completed an apprenticeship as a bespoke men's tailor at *Deutscher Fernsehfunk* (East German Television) and, from 1969 to 1971, trained as a vocalist at the Central Studio for Entertainment Arts. In 1970, he began collaborating with the band *Brot & Salz*, which renamed itself *Drei* in 1978. Also in 1970, Ingo Koster became the only artist to place two songs—"Maja Maja" and "Und so weiter"—in the *Schlager* finals of the competition *Einmal im Jahr*. In 1978, he composed and produced "Blues vom Abschied" for the soundtrack of the DEFA film *Sabine Wulff*. In 1987, Gaby Rückert joined the group *Drei* as well, marking the beginning of a new chapter—both musically and personally—for Ingo Koster.

After the dissolution of *Drei*, he continued to work alongside Rückert. Starting in 1992, operating under his own label, Talisman Music, he composed and produced several albums and singles in the ballad-oriented style characteristic of the Koster/Rückert duo. Their collaboration yielded works such as *Auf einer langen Reise*, *Der Sand von Rügen*, and *Tochter Sonnenschein*. In 1993, he married his longtime partner, Gaby Rückert. In 2010, Ingo Koster and Gaby Rückert released the album *Lebenswert – Zwischen Liebe und Schmerz*.

That same year saw the release of their Christmas album, *Weihnachtszeit*, the proceeds of which were donated to the animal welfare organization *Tierhilfe Wendland e.V.* ...benefited the association. Until 2023, the duo Gaby Rückert and Ingo Koster performed together on stage. On May 21, 2023, Gaby Rückert and Ingo Koster announced that they would "no longer be able to perform in their current configuration as Gaby Rückert & Ingo Koster." The reason was an illness suffered by Koster.

Koster lived in Berlin and the Wendland region. He passed away on May 7, 2026.

Ingo Koster - Blues vom Abschied

Ingo Koster - Mokka-Milch-Eisbar

Ingo Koster - He Freund