Klaus Hess (Jane) passed away on October 31, 2025

As the RockTimes editorial team has just learned from sources close to the band, Klaus Hess, one of the founders, lead guitarist, and singer of the band Jane, passed away on October 31, 2025, from a chronic lung condition.

It all began in the 1960s when Hess, as bassist, toured with the band Justice Of Peace, featuring singer Peter Panka, saxophonist (and later keyboardist) Werner Nadolny, and guitarist Wolfgang Krantz. They played numerous live concerts and recorded a single. After the band's breakup, most of the musicians stayed together, swapped instruments, and renamed themselves Jane. Hess became the guitarist and main songwriter.

It all started in the 1960s when Hess toured as bassist with the band Justice Of Peace, featuring singer Peter Panka, saxophonist (and later keyboardist) Werner Nadolny, and guitarist Wolfgang Krantz. The 1972 debut album "Together" was a huge success, but subsequent albums such as "Here We Are," "Fire, Water, Earth & Air," and "Live At Home" (1976, gold status) also achieved considerable success. "Between Heaven And Hell" (1977) earned a silver certification, after which the band's popularity declined, partly due to changing musical trends.

After leaving his main band, Klaus Hess released two relatively unnoticed solo albums, "Sternentanz" and "Technodrome," before sporadically continuing to perform with Mother Jane. In the 2000s, during a period with three different Jane incarnations, the band experienced a resurgence, releasing the studio album *In Dreams* under the name Mother Jane. This was followed by the two live albums *Hungry 4 Live I* and *… II*, and finally another studio album, *Turn The Page* (featuring mostly re-recordings of older Jane tracks). However, after a complete lineup change, it all came to an abrupt end, and Mother Jane became history.

Rest in peace, Klaus, your guitar playing was unique!

Jane - Together (1972)

Jane - Fire, Water, Earth And Air (1976) Full Album

Jane - Here we are