Madonna
In addition to his work as a playwright and novelist, Hellinga also developed spiritually. Jinny Tielsch: “Gerben also wrote books about it and he developed a card game based on a Chinese Oracle system.” When Hellinga was in Ny, a girl came to see him one day. He presented her with the cards when she asked if she would become famous when she grew up. The cards showed a very successful picture. “You will become a superstar, Gerben said,” says Jinny. It turned out to be Madonna.
Recognition
After more than 50 years of struggle, Ruigoord finally received the green light last December to continue for a longer period of time, at least another 25 years. Something Hellinga believed in all his life. Hellinga had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for a long time and recently started to suffer from dementia and lived in a nursing home. But I still received this news. His son Tycho: “He also talked about Ruigoord in recent weeks. He was very happy with the recognition.”
Gerben Hellinga’s funeral is this Sunday in Ruigoord.