anu ary ▁ 2 4 , ▁ 1 9 4 4 ▁– ▁August ▁ 6 , ▁ 1 9 8 3 ), ▁known ▁profession ally ▁as ▁Klaus ▁Nom i , ▁was ▁a ▁German ▁counter ten or ▁noted ▁for ▁his ▁wide ▁vocal ▁range ▁and ▁an ▁unusual , ▁other world ly ▁stage ▁persona . ▁ ▁Nom i ▁was ▁known ▁for ▁his ▁b izar re ly ▁vision ary ▁the atr ical ▁live ▁performances , ▁heavy ▁make - up , ▁unusual ▁cost umes , ▁and ▁a ▁highly ▁st yl ized ▁signature ▁ha ird o ▁that ▁fla unted ▁a ▁re ced ing ▁hair line . ▁His ▁songs ▁were ▁equally ▁unusual , ▁r anging ▁from ▁synth es izer - lad en ▁interpret ations ▁of ▁classical ▁opera ▁to ▁covers ▁of ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁pop ▁standards ▁like ▁Ch ub by ▁Check er ' s ▁" The ▁Tw ist " ▁and ▁Lou ▁Christ ie ' s ▁" Light n in ' ▁St rik es ". ▁He ▁is ▁remembered ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁David ▁B owie ' s ▁backup ▁sing ers ▁for ▁a ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁performance ▁on ▁Saturday ▁Night ▁Live . ▁ ▁Nom i ▁died ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 3 ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 3 9 ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁comp lications ▁from ▁A ID S . ▁He ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁known ▁figures ▁from ▁the ▁arts ▁community ▁to ▁die ▁from ▁the ▁disease . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁Klaus ▁Nom i ▁was ▁born ▁Klaus ▁S per ber ▁in ▁Im men stadt ,