Pege?s family told state news agency MTI he died in hospital early on Saturday following a short illness. Funeral arrangements are pending.
?He had everything which makes the most exceptional artist,? the Ministry of Education and Culture said in a statement.
Pege completed his studies at Budapest?s Liszt Ferenc Music College in 1969. He was made a teaching assistant at the college in 1970 and became a university teacher in 1978.
In the mid-70s, he participated in master classes with Rainer Zapperitz in West Berlin. He formed his own musical ensemble in 1963 and was also a regular player at festivals and concerts around the world. He played to great acclaim in Bombay and New York in 1982, appearing at Carnegie Hall with a long list of jazz greats.
In 1964, he was named ?Festival Virtuoso? in Prague, and in 1970, he was awarded the prize for ?Europe?s Best Soloist? in Montreux.
Pege recorded numerous solo albums in Hungary and abroad. During his later years, he played more classical music concerts, writing arrangements to fill the limited solo repertoire of the bass.
He was awarded the Kossuth Prize, Hungary?s highest honour for artists, in 2002.
