Music Appreciation

highplainsdem

(57,553 posts) Wed Jul 23, 2025, 11:50 AM Wednesday

George Kooymans of Golden Earring has passed away. So far I've seen the news mostly in

Last edited Wed Jul 23, 2025, 04:25 PM - Edit history (2)

Dutch papers, and I posted an OP quoting one of the Dutch News stories that was published in English in LBN:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143500597

And that links to the old thread I posted with the most information about George (see all the replies) in the Lounge:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181674319

When I posted that a few years ago, I'd been hoping against hope that treatment could be found to cure or at least reverse ALS.

He fought it very bravely.

I have no doubt that he's now experiencing joy, healthy and young again on the other side - playing guitar again - but this is another huge loss for music, a great loss for his country, and an especially painful loss for all his many friends and loved ones.

RIP, George.

(Editing to add that I've changed the thread title, which had originally said he passed away yesterday, because I've seen conflicting news stories on whether his death was yesterday or today, though the news of his death came today.)

Winterland, 1975. Vanilla Queen. Incredible solo and outro.

1986 photo by Anton Corbijn:

3 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

George Kooymans of Golden Earring has passed away. So far I've seen the news mostly in (Original Post) highplainsdem Wednesday OP

😮‍💨 CentralMass Wednesday #1

Unsurprising, But Sad ProfessorGAC Wednesday #2

First symptoms 5 years ago this summer. By 3 years ago he needed a wheelchair at times, since he highplainsdem Wednesday #3

CentralMass

(16,365 posts)

1. 😮‍💨

Reply to highplainsdem (Original post)

Wed Jul 23, 2025, 12:58 PM

Wednesday

ProfessorGAC

(73,751 posts)

2. Unsurprising, But Sad

Reply to highplainsdem (Original post)

Wed Jul 23, 2025, 05:14 PM

Wednesday

Been sick for quite some time.
That is one nasty illness.

highplainsdem

(57,553 posts)

3. First symptoms 5 years ago this summer. By 3 years ago he needed a wheelchair at times, since he

Reply to ProfessorGAC (Reply #2)

Wed Jul 23, 2025, 05:53 PM

Wednesday

couldn't go very far with a walker, though he was still using a walker at home in March of 2023, when he did a long interview with Dutch paper De Volkskrant that I posted about in that very long topic in the Lounge, reply 102.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181674319#post102

There's a photo with the article - https://archive.ph/Ahdqt - where he's standing without a walker, but he's leaning on a Wurlitzer jukebox. A photo in another magazine about the same time showed him standing outdoors, but leaning on a guitar used like a cane.

The last few years have to have been so difficult for him and his family.

The journalist who wrote that article for De Volkskrant wrote a very touching obituary for today's paper. I'll post about it later.

Editing because I want to add that most of his life had been very successful and happy, as i'd pointed out in reply 12 in the LBN thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143500597#post12

Part of what I wrote there:

Up until he developed ALS, he'd had a very lucky and successful life - including a successful 56-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart, whom he'd fallen in love with in his early teens. Two great kids, who were also there for him as he battled ALS. Long string of hits in the Netherlands, in addition to the worldwide hits. Very much a rock god there, idolized so much that when he was in his 30s, in the mid-1980s, he won some teen magazine's readers' poll for sexiest musician (he said the kids needed to find younger idols). Healthy and athletic enough to run marathons. Won European guitar awards. Launched or salvaged the careers of some other artists, in addition to founding Golden Earring and keeping them together all those years. I've never run across any statement from anyone who didn't like and admire him.

But then he had a 5-year nightmare fighting ALS.

Reply to this discussion