showbizPierre Kartner passed away. That reports the regional Dutch newspaper BN DeStem. He was 87 years old. Kartner, aka Vader Abraham, has been living completely withdrawn for the past two years. He stopped performing and appeared in publicity. The family has not released any information about the cause of death.
Pierre Kartner was born in 1935 in Elst and lived in Breda almost all his life. His life was completely devoted to music. He was a singer, (formerly) bassist, lyricist and music writer and producer. He scored his biggest hits with ‘Het Kleine Café Aan de Haven’ (1975) and ‘Het Smurfenlied’ (1977). ‘Het Kleine Café’ was covered more than 200 times by other artists, with ‘Het Smurfenlied’ he topped the charts worldwide. In addition, he gained fame with a large number of carnival songs.
Listen here: ‘The Smurf Song’ by Pierre Kartner.
Many other Dutch artists had success with Kartner’s productions, including the singer Corry Konings (with and without De Rekels), Jacques Herb, Ben Cramer and Mieke. Also great foreign artists such as the Greek Nana Mouskouri, Joe Dassin and Peter Alexander had Kartner songs in their repertoire.
Impressive oeuvre
The Dutch musician remained active into old age and was convinced that he could create a worldwide acclaimed evergreen like ‘Het Kleine Café’ one more time. It should not have gotten that far, nevertheless he leaves behind an impressive oeuvre. Kartner can be counted among the most important guardians of light, Dutch-language song in the 20th and 21st century.
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Pierre Kartner regularly expressed his disappointment at the lack of appreciation for his work in his own country, especially from ‘Hilversum’. Nevertheless, he received many accolades, including an Edison, a Buma Lifetime Achievement Award and a Golden Harp. In 2000 he received a royal decoration.
Pierre Kartner was married to his Annie. They have one son together, Walter. This morning Pierre Kartner was buried in silence.
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