GOLDEN EARRING - The Best Of Golden Earring 10 Years 20 Hits 12" Vinyl LP Album

George Kooymans, the celebrated Dutch guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of Golden Earring, has passed away at the age of 77 after a long and courageous battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). His death marks the end of an era for Dutch rock music and leaves a profound silence where once there was the fierce echo of electric riffs and melodic innovation.

Born in The Hague on March 11, 1948, George Kooymans began his musical journey in the early 1960s, co-founding Golden Earring (initially known as The Golden Earrings) at the tender age of 13. Over the decades, he would become the band's creative cornerstone, writing many of their biggest hits and contributing a distinctive guitar sound that fused raw energy with lyrical elegance.

Kooymans was the composer of "Twilight Zone," the band's breakthrough hit in the United States in 1982, and co-wrote the anthemic "Radar Love," a rock classic that still echoes through concert halls, car radios, and playlists across the world. His guitar work was both muscular and melodic, driving the band's success while influencing generations of musicians.

Throughout a career that spanned over 50 years, Kooymans remained dedicated to his craft, performing on stage with unrelenting passion and humility. In early 2021, he publicly revealed his ALS diagnosis, leading to Golden Earring’s decision to disband, a poignant closure for a group that had stayed together with its classic lineup for nearly five decades.

Beyond the stage, George Kooymans was a quiet and thoughtful man, known for his dry humor, love of Americana music, and deep friendship with his bandmates, especially Barry Hay, Rinus Gerritsen, and Cesar Zuiderwijk. He also released solo material and worked as a producer for other Dutch artists, always with a keen ear for authenticity and emotion.

George spent his final years surrounded by loved ones and supported by the deep admiration of fans in the Netherlands and far beyond. His bravery in facing ALS, a disease that robbed him of the ability to play but never his dignity or spirit, inspired many.

He is survived by his wife and family, and by the legacy of a band that put Dutch rock on the global map. George Kooymans may have left the stage, but his music will reverberate for generations to come.

"There's a feeling I get when I look to the West..."