Background
Wagner was born as Gudrun Armann in Allenstein, East Prussia. She grew up in Lower Bavaria near Regensburg, where she was moved at the age of four weeks because of World World War World War II
Wagner was born as Gudrun Armann in Allenstein, East Prussia. She grew up in Lower Bavaria near Regensburg, where she was moved at the age of four weeks because of World World War World War II
Her behind-the-scenes influence led her to be considered virtual co-director She worked as a secretary in the press department of the Bayreuth Festival from 1965. She later became the assistant of Wolfgang Wagner, the grandson of Richard Wagner and director of the Bayreuth Festival which the composer founded.
She and Wolfgang Wagner each divorced their spouses in order to marry each other in 1976.
Their daughter Katharina, who succeeded her father as co-director of the festival, was born in 1978. Although officially keeping a low profile, she exercised influence on the festival from behind the scenes.
She had been recovering from an operation in hospital in Bayreuth when she died.