George Kooymans, guitarist and vocalist for the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, has died. Kooymans, who wrote Golden Earring's biggest American hit, 1982's "Twilight Zone," had retired from music in 2021 upon being diagnosed with ALS. He was 77.
"We say goodbye to a great musician and composer whose work extended beyond Golden Earring," a rep for the band said in a statement to the press. "George was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, but above all, a friend."
Kooymans founded Golden Earring with his neighbor, bassist Rinus Gerritsen, in 1961 in the Hague. Initially they used the name the Tornados, but they quickly shifted to the Golden Earrings, which eventually morphed into Golden Earring. The band continued for 50 years, releasing 25 albums and exploring multiple permutations of rock, pop, and folk along the way.
Golden Earring racked up lots of hits in the Netherlands throughout the '60s and early '70s, and they broke through globally in 1973 with the bass-driven finger-snapper "Radar Love," a #13 hit in the US that remains a staple of classic rock radio. They quickly scored another minor US pop hit with the swampy rocker "Candy's Going Bad" in 1974. For a while it seemed like "Radar Love" would be their biggest American hit, but Golden Earring charted even higher with 1982's synth-streaked rocker "Twilight Zone," a #10 smash that has also lingered in the national classic rock consciousness. That song, too, was followed by some lesser chart hits, "The Devil Made Me Do It" and "When The Lady Smiles." They continued to land songs on the Dutch charts all the way up until 2012.
Revisit those hits below.
