A Silent Battle, Kept Private for Years
Although it was publicly known that Kooymans had retired in 2021 due to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), his family has now revealed that the true cause of death was a rare and aggressive neurological condition related to ALS — one that doctors had difficulty identifying for years.
In a statement shared by his wife, Milly Kooymans, the family wrote:
“George did not want the world to see him as a fading artist. He wanted to be remembered with a guitar in his hands, not with tubes in his chest. So he asked us to keep the true nature of his condition private — until now.”
The Secret George Took to the Studio
Close friends and family disclosed that George Kooymans had continued to write and record music in secret even after his official retirement, using a custom-built home studio equipped to accommodate his condition.
“He could barely move, but he could still hear the notes in his mind,” said his daughter, Melissa. “He wrote entire songs with his eyes — literally using an eye-controlled computer.”
Unreleased tracks, reportedly acoustic and stripped-back, will be compiled into a posthumous album titled “Still in the Silence”, to be released later this year.
Bandmates React: “The Heartbeat of Golden Earring Is Gone”
Kooymans formed Golden Earring in 1961 at the age of 13. Over six decades, he became the band’s chief songwriter and creative soul. Hits like “Twilight Zone”, “When the Lady Smiles”, and of course, “Radar Love” made them international rock legends.
Barry Hay, longtime friend and lead singer of the band, broke down during a Dutch radio tribute:
“We lost our anchor, our brother. George wasn’t just the riff master — he was the soul whisperer. Every chord he wrote had blood in it.”
A Nation Mourns, a Legacy Immortalized
Dutch Prime Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius called Kooymans “a pillar of Dutch rock, whose sound carried our culture far beyond our borders.”
Spontaneous candlelight vigils have already begun outside the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and his hometown of The Hague, where fans played “Radar Love” in unison at 7:00 PM — the time of his reported passing.
What’s Next: A Tribute Concert in the Works
Plans are underway for a massive tribute concert in Rotterdam later this year, with performances from Dutch and international acts influenced by Golden Earring, including U2, Foo Fighters, and Within Temptation.
Proceeds from the event will go toward ALS research, at George’s own request.
George Kooymans didn’t want sympathy. He wanted silence, strings, and songs.
And though he’s now gone, the chords he strummed — both loudly on stage and quietly in his final days —
will echo through generations of dreamers, rebels, and lovers on the road.
