George Kooymans passed away at the age of 77, according to a statement from his family. The guitarist and singer of Golden Earring suffered from the neurological disease ALS.
“We say goodbye to a great musician and composer, whose work extended beyond Golden Earring. George was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, but above all a friend,” the statement said.
In 1961, Kooymans and his neighbor Rinus Gerritsen founded the band The Golden Earrings, which later became known as Golden Earring. The group scored major hits with songs like Radar Love, Twilight Zone and When the Lady Smiles. The band from The Hague was also popular abroad.
Golden Earring had various lineups over the years. Since 1970, the core of the band consisted of Kooymans, Gerritsen, Barry Hay and Cesar Zuiderwijk.
In addition to being a guitarist and singer, Kooymans was also a composer, lyricist and producer. He did this not only for Golden Earring, but also for other well-known artists such as Earth & Fire, Patricia Paay, Guus Meeuwis, Herman Brood and Henk Westbroek.
Golden Earring last performed with Kooymans in November 2019. The band then gave a concert in Rotterdam Ahoy.
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Watch here the last show of George Kooymans with Golden Earring.
Two years later, Kooymans announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS and therefore had to stop performing. “My head still wants to go fast, but I’m getting slower in everything. And it won’t get any better,” he told de Volkskrant at the time.
The members of Golden Earring did not want to continue without Kooymans. That meant the definitive end of the band.
However, at the beginning of this year, the rock band announced a series of farewell concerts for 2026. Kooymans would no longer be on stage at these shows, but he was one of the initiators.
During the farewell concerts, Hay, Zuiderwijk and Gerritsen will be on stage. They perform with artists such as Maan, Danny Vera and Acda en de Munnik. Part of the proceeds will go to the fight against ALS.
Kooymans leaves behind his wife Melanie (Gerritsen’s sister) and two children.