Comedian Paul van Vliet has passed away at the age of 87. His family reports this to the ANP news agency. Van Vliet, who hails from The Hague, was one of the Netherlands’ most famous comedians in the 1970s and 1980s. He’s been on stage for decades.
He died on Tuesday evening after a short illness in his place of residence and birthplace The Hague. “We are intensely sad, but above all proud of who he was and what he meant to many,” his family said.
“With his lyrics, music and comic types, he leaves behind a wealth of stories and songs that testify to a full life and a wonderful theater career. Our dear Paul, full of life, powerful and full of ideas until the end. We will miss him.”
Girls of thirteen
Van Vliet became known, among other things, with characters such as Major Kees and Benny from The Hague. Musical highlights were the songs Girls of thirteen and Safe behind with father on the bike. In 2008, Queen Beatrix presented him with the Medal of Honor for Art and Science.
In recent years, Van Vliet has occasionally performed on special occasions.
A brief overview of Van Vliet’s life:
Van Vliet has been active as Unicef ambassador since 1992. He was approached for this by actress Audrey Hepburn, who was also an ambassador for the UN organization.
Unicef will miss Van Vliet “dearly”. “Paul touched us with his beautiful words, his special ability to get through to children; he really made contact with them. Through his tireless commitment to children, he always made the world a little more beautiful,” says director Suzanne Laszlo.
Ten years ago, that aid organization created the Paul van Vliet Award, intended for organizations that are committed to the development of children and young people.
Like a father
Comedian Jochem Myjer writes on social media that Van Vliet was “like a father to me”. “The amount of love, comfort and joy he has spread over his large audience on every stage in the Netherlands is inimitable. In our last conversations last week I already told you. You will travel with me forever.”
Prime Minister Rutte responded via Twitter:
Four years ago, various expressions of Paul van Vliet were included in the Dikke Van Dale. These included “Nice things for people” and “Questions? No questions!”.
AVROTROS repeats tonight on NPO 1 the episode of the Volle Zalen program from 2018, in which Van Vliet looks back on his career. The broadcast starts at 11:30 PM. Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on NPO 1 Paul van Vliet is 80 years old: There is so much left unsaid, a documentary by Omroep Max from 2015.
- Paul van Vliet in the Fat Van Dale. To ask? No questions!
