Rocker Peter Maffay was the best-selling German pop star of his generation, wielding his celebrity to become a powerful advocate for antiwar efforts and an outspoken critic of domestic abuse. Born Peter Alexander Makkay on August 30, 1949, in Brasov, Romania, he founded his first rock band, the Dukes, after relocating to Germany. After a short stint working with an art manufacturer and moonlighting in local nightclubs, Maffay flung himself into music full-time. In the years to follow his political activism shaped his music, and in 1996 he received the Order of Merit for his social commitment, and in 2005 performed for German troops stationed in Afghanistan. ~ Jason Ankeny