Colleagues of Eigen Huis & Tuin handyman Nico Zwinkels are reacting to his death. On Instagram, former colleagues Rob Verlinden and Irene Moors share their memories of the well-known handyman, who passed away at the age of eighty.
“Goodbye Nico,” Moors writes on Instagram with a series of photos of Zwinkels. “Nico Zwinkels was the most famous handyman in the Netherlands in the nineties. He came to people’s homes by bicycle and tool box. The famous ‘handyman tune’ still makes people think of him.”
“From 1996 to 1998, I worked with Nico in Eigen Huis & Tuin,” she continues. “I remember Nico as a pleasant, sweet man who was always up for a joke and a cup of coffee. I wish his loved ones all the strength in processing this loss.”
Verlinden, who did the gardening jobs in Eigen Huis & Tuin, shares a video on Instagram in which he and Zwinkels can be seen. “This video was made in February, it was the last time we were together. He was, although he was so sick, always cheerful and active. Nico, rest in peace.”
‘Unmistakable figurehead Eigen Huis & Tuin’
RTL announced earlier on Wednesday in a response to NU.nl that Zwinkels was “an unmistakable figurehead” of Eigen Huis & Tuin and was “the handyman” of the Netherlands for many years. “With his creativity, passion and craftsmanship, he added color to the program for years and managed to conquer a place in the hearts of viewers. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones. We wish them much strength in this time.”
The family of Zwinkels announced his death in an obituary in a local newspaper. “On a beautiful summer day, my dearest husband and companion, our caring father, father-in-law and super proud grandfather has passed away from us,” the family writes in the obituary.