You've probably seen a thread I've posted for a musician with ALS. Why I hate that disease [View all]

[highplainsdem]

is explained in part in the OP at https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181674319 , which mentions an online friend of mine who developed ALS in his late 4Os and died when he was only 50, and who allowed his heartbreaking battle against ALS to be filmed.

ALS also struck George Kooymans, the founder, lead guitarist and main songwriter of the Dutch band Golden Earring, ending their career 60 years after the first lineup of the band was formed, 51 years after the final lineup was formed. They're known internationally mostly for two mega-hits in the '70s and '80s, but they had dozens of hit singles and albums in Europe and had never stopped recording and touring, until ALS made that impossible for George.

I'd posted a thread asking for prayers and good vibes for George last summer, because he'd started doing interviews and talking about his illness for the first time since the diagnosis was announced in early 2021. He mentioned no longer being able to play guitar (he'd learned to play when he was 8, was giving guitar lessons at 13). He said he was using a walker and had bought a wheelchair. But in the only new photos I saw last summer, no walker or wheelchair was in sight, though he might've been leaning a bit on his guitar while standing, in one photo taken outside of his home.

Then last week he was given an honorary citizenship by the town in Belgium he lives near. And he made what I think was his first public appearance in months, his entire family accompanying him as he accepted the award. He was in a wheelchair. I linked to an article about this in English at https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181674319#post90 and the direct link is https://netherlands.postsen.com/music/131774/George-Kooymans-74-of-Golden-Earring-honorary-citizen-of-Rijkevorsel-Playing-guitar-is-no-longer-possible-due-to-ALS-Rijkevorsel.html . The article has three photos in a slide show, and it was painful to see that George apparently needs the wheelchair all the time now, even though he's "still as positive and energetic as ever" according to a singer/songwriter friend and collaborator of his, who mentioned George in a New Year's message I posted at https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181674319#post87 . George is still working on music as much as he can, and the third and final album by the supergroup trio he was in with that friend should be released in March. He'd helped that friend with new music for his solo album, and last summer George and another collaborator had released a second album as a duo.

His love of music hasn't died. His wanting to create new music and help other musicians create new music hasn't stopped. And he'd helped a lot of other musicians, as a songwriter and producer as well, and I mentioned some of them in replies in that long thread, and I keep running across more names of artists he produced or helped in other ways.

But ALS is taking a brutal toll on him physically. It's painful to see him in a wheelchair now, though it was good to see him surrounded by his loving family - his wife (his childhood sweetheart and the younger sister of Golden Earring bass player Rinus Gerritsen), their son and daughter and their partners and children.

I'm going to post a tweet with one of the news stories since I don't want to hotlink to the photo:

Link to tweet

EDIT: I just found video from the ceremony including part of an interview then, with George in a very good mood. It was uploaded to YouTube only about 5 minutes after I posted this OP. I've already posted it in reply 2, but will also add it to this OP, after the 6 music videos below. There are Dutch captions, and I'll translate what George said later via Google Translate and add that to reply 2.

I'm posting this because I would like to request more prayers and vibes for him. He has not publicized his battle with ALS as much as my friend Ernie Wallengren did, but he has talked about it and helped raise money for ALS research.

I admire him for doing as much as he can, still. He deserves applause and prayers. So do all the people battling that terrible disease.

And we need a cure for ALS.

Videos below showing George in his 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, the last from what turned out to be Golden Earring's last concert, in late 2019, before Covid hit and canceled their spring 2020 concerts and then George was diagnosed with ALS later in the year. George has won awards and polls as a guitarist - see the guitar solos at about 3:15 and 8:20 in the first video - and music has been his life. I'm sure that if he didn't have ALS, Golden Earring would still be touring. And he'd probably still be busy with side projects with other musicians.

News story video, with an interview, about the ceremony days ago: