Golden Earring Guitarist George Kooymans Dies at 77

George Kooymans, a cofounding member of Golden Earring whose vocals and guitar were staples of the band’s sound, has died at the age of 77.

News of Kooyman’s death comes courtesy of an attorney associated with the group, which called it quits in 2021 following the news of Kooyman’s ALS diagnosis. “We say goodbye to a great musician and composer whose work extended beyond Golden Earring,” reads the short statement released to the press via Kooyman’s family. “George was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, but above all, a friend.”

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the other band members, and we wish them much strength,” added Limore Noach, director of the ALS Netherlands Foundation. “When it became known that George Kooymans had ALS and could no longer perform, it was heartwarming to see how the whole of the Netherlands rallied in support.”

Read More: How Golden Earring Returned with ‘Twilight Zone’

Founded in 1961 when Kooymans decided to start a band with his neighbor, bassist Rinus Gerritsen, Golden Earring remained active for an impressive 50-year span, releasing more than 25 studio albums along the way.

Long popular in their native Netherlands, the band achieved their most enduring international success in the early ’70s with “Radar Love,” which peaked at No. 13 in the U.S. and remains a staple of classic rock radio, but it isn’t their only Stateside hit; the Kooymans-penned “Twilight Zone,” released in 1982, went to No. 10.

Why Did Golden Earring Break Up?

“We always said we would keep going until one of us fell over,” said Kooyman’s longtime bandmate, multi-instrumentalist Barry Hay, when Kooyman’s diagnosis was announced in 2021. “I didn’t expect George to be the first. Kooymans was always the toughest of the four of us.”

According to Dutch News, the surviving former members of Golden Earring are planning a farewell show, during which the lineup is scheduled to be rounded out by an array of guest musicians. Proceeds are being earmarked to benefit ALS research.

“What we want now is silence and to think back on everything he did,” Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk said in response to the news of Kooyman’s death. “I played with him for 50 years, and it was the best time of my life.”