MNN - Mother Nature Network

A German property developer's plans to tear down the longest remaining piece of the Berlin Wall has hit one giant snag: David Hasselhoff. 

 

The 60-year-old actor/entertainer returned to Berlin on Sunday to thousands of cheering fans, personally vowing to help activists in any way possible preserve a .8 mile stretch of their history. 

 

"This last piece of the wall is really sacred, it's the last memorial to the people who died and to the perseverance of freedom," Hasselhoff said, comparing the developer's plans to destroying the Ground Zero memorial to victims of the September 11 attacks. 

 

The Hoff's relationship with the Berlin Wall stretches back to 1989, when he performed his song "Looking for Freedom" atop it during a New Year's Eve performance. The single went on to top the German charts for eight weeks and, for many, captured the mood of the historic reunification that followed. 

 

"I've been lookin' for freedom; I've been lookin' so long; I've been lookin' for freedom; still the search goes on," repeats the chorus. 

 

"I didn't realise the significance of 'Looking for Freedom' in east Germany until a few months ago," Hasselhof told the UK Guardian on Sunday. "On my last tour there were thousands of Germans holding up signs saying 'We love you, thank you for Mauerfall [the fall of the wall].'"

 

While the "Baywatch" star says he doesn't personally have the money to buy the land back from developers, he does believe he might be able to use his star power to raise the needed funds, including organizing a celebrity all-star benefit. 

 

"If it goes to the next step, we'll come back with a huge concert and really rock Berlin," he said. 

 

Check out video of The Hoff's efforts below.