Although Kees van Kooten indicated shortly after the news about Wim de Bie’s death that he did not want to respond, he did so this week in the Vpro guide. “Something has been finalized.”
In this week’s memoriam of the magazine, Van Kooten writes that it feels like he has lost ‘a brother’. The two, who are known for their characters in the program, among other things Van Kooten & De Bie , had known each other for seventy years. Kees explains that Wim, who according to him was more thoughtful than himself, has saved him ‘more than once from disaster’. “Wim has indicated the direction at many crossroads in my life. An important man.”
De Bie was important for his personal development, but according to Van Kooten he was also an innovator of the media.
“But what I will miss most is our regular contact, calling, visiting each other, that casual. And of course Wim’s sense of humor, his sharp eye. Something is definitely closed. As if a part of myself has died”, says Kees.
Wim de Bie passed away at the age of 83, the Vpro announced this on March 27. De Bie had been struggling with serious health problems for years.