Cornel Chiriac - at Radio Free Europe

At Radio Free Europe

A few days later he managed to leave Romania and arrived in Austria with the help of a falsified invitation (received during the Braşov festival and having as its initial destination Poland). He spent some time at the Traiskirchen refugee camp, where he was discovered by Radio Free Europe director Noël Bernard. After getting his official documents in order, he continued his activity in Munich, in RFE's Romanian-language section. He re-launched Metronom, Jazz magazin and started a third show, Jazz à la carte. At first, Chiriac used his microphone to express the anger he felt against those who had hindered his work at Radio România. Ioana Măgură Bernard later recalled: "Often, after doing something without thinking, Cornel had such problems with the German authorities and with the American heads of RFE that he was almost kicked out of Germany and off radio". Later, according to Noël Bernard, "he realised that not politics but music was his calling". Until his death, his musical activity was rich, and included a Romanian translation of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.

On March 4, 1975, near midnight, Chiriac was stabbed near his car, in a Munich parking lot. An hour later, a female student returning home found him. The first suspect to be arrested was 17-year-old Mario Gropp, the last person seen with Chiriac that evening. As the investigation proceeded, Gropp was cleared and three Turks were questioned. Nicolae Munteanu, RFE's sports editor, mentioned this fact on air after returning from their trial. In Romania there was talk of a political assassination committed by the Securitate. Even after he died, the Securitate started various rumours: that he had been an anti-Semite, a homosexual and a Securitate collaborator. Chiriac's body was cremated in Munich and his ashes brought back to Romania by his mother. He is buried in Bucharest's Reînvierea Cemetery.