In 1981 at the age of 63 Fritz-Otto Lürssen died unexpectedly, abruptly ending the successful collaboration between the brothers Gert and Fritz-Otto Lürssen. A quote from one of the eulogies at his funeral reflects his popularity: ""For us employees, he was an entrepreneur and a boss, someone you could talk to and negotiate with, a friend and advisor"." A couple of years later Gert decided to withdraw from active company leadership. He handed over the management responsibilities to his son, Friedrich.