Singer Joseph Reynaerts, known as Reynaert for Eurovision matters, passed away last night. He was hospitalized last week, affected by COVID19. Reynaert represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988 in Dublin with “Laissez briller le soleil”. Ten years earlier, he had won, ex-aequo the French songcontest in Spa.
Reynaert wrote his song “Laissez briller le soleil” after the Belgian ship MS Herald Of Free Enterprise capsized and sank moments after leaving Port Zeebrugge in Belgium, causing many victims.
The song won the 1988 Belgian preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. In the international final in Dublin, Reynaert was less successful. He became 18th.
After the contest, it became more silent around Joseph Reynaerts. He gave performances every now and then and worked together with Pierre Rapsat, Philippe Anciaux, Philippe Lafontaine and Steve Houben to honour George Brassens ten years after he passed away.
At the end of the 1990s, Joseph Reynaerts became the director of the Centre Culturel de Flémalle. He resigned for health reasons in 2008.
source: rtbf.be
