George Kooijmans, guitarist and co-founder of Dutch band Golden Earring, co-writer of hard rock legends Radar Love and the writer and vocalist of the Top 10 hit Twilight Zone, has died at the age of 77.
Kooymans' family and the remaining members of Golden Earring said he passed away on Wednesday due to complications from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which he was diagnosed with in 2020. He left the band shortly after.
Kooijmans, originally from The Hague, was a teenager when he helped found the band Golden Earring in the early 1960s: the band's name was inspired by the instrumental composition of the time, Golden Earrings.
He was also part of the band's most famous lineup, which also included drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk, vocalist and guitarist Barry Hay, and bassist and keyboardist Rinus Gerritsen. They remained together from 1970 until his departure.
“George endured this devastating and debilitating disease with extraordinary strength and dignity,” Golden Earring said in a statement.
“We say goodbye to a great musician and composer whose work was not limited to Golden Earring. George was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, but above all, a true friend.”
With more than 20 Top 10 singles in their home country, Golden Earring have achieved more success at home than abroad.
However, in the late 1960s in the United States, they began to attract fans from the underground culture and achieved commercial success in 1973 with the worldwide hit Radar Love, which was covered by U2, REM and many others, and was also used in the soundtracks of Baby Driver, Wayne's World 2 and others.
With its majestic opening riff and memorable first line, “I drove all night, my hands were wet on the steering wheel,” “Radar Love” was once voted one of the greatest road trip songs by Rolling Stone magazine.
Golden Earring have shared stages with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, and toured with such stars as Aerosmith, Rush and the Doobie Brothers.
In 1982, the song Twilight Zone became their best-known song in the US thanks to a video on the newly launched MTV channel, while other popular tracks included When The Lady Smiles and Going To The Run.
Golden Earring continued to tour and record throughout the 1990s and beyond. In 2011, to mark their 50th anniversary, the band was honored with a commemorative stamp from the Dutch Post Office that could be linked to Radar Love via an app.
A farewell performance without Koeymans was already planned for early next year.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
