Music TV Show Host Dies of COPD Complications: Chiel Montagne Was 80

TV host and radio DJ Bert van Rheenen, better known as Chiel Montagne, has died. He was 80.

According to a report from the ANP news agency, he passed away from complications of COPD.

The Dutch host was particularly well-known abroad for hosting the music program On Loose Grooves, which aired entirely Dutch-language music for almost twenty years.

In the 1960s, he started his career at the offshore radio station Radio Veronica, where he noticed many Dutch people liked listening to exclusively Dutch music, which led to the creation of his famous TV show. He was well known in the country for his extremely distinctive mustache.

Later on in life, he created his own agency and recording studio for Dutch artists and co-founded the radio station Holland FM.

In 2010, he was knighted in the nation’s Order of Orange-Nassau.

A release honoring his legacy from the station AVROTROS called Montagne an “icon” and that On Loose Grooves was “the embodiment of Dutch song.”

“With his trademark moustache and love of music, he was one of the most important faces of TROS for a long time. We owe Chiel a great debt of gratitude and remember him with great respect,” the statement read.