Beloved Children’s Show Star Dies of Heart Failure: Chris Cauwenberghs Was 78

Flemish actor Chris Cauwenberghs, best known for his role as Kabouter Lui in the children’s series Kabouter Plop, has died. He was 78.

The actor’s wife, Maria, told Dutch newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that Cauwenberghs passed away in his sleep at a hospital in Veurne on the night of Wednesday, April 23 due to heart failure.

“His warm personality and lasting impact continue to live – in the hearts of his audience, in the success of Kabouter Plop, and within the Studio 100 family,” Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst of Studio 100 said.

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Born in Hemiksem in 1947, Cauwenberghs trained in drama at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and began his career in theater before transitioning to TV. Following roles in series like Rogier van Ter Doest, De vlaschaard, and Geschiedenis mijner jeugd throughout the late ‘70s and ‘80s, per his IMDb profile, he landed the role of the police officer Fernand Verbist in the popular Flemish television show Thuis. Cauwenberghs portrayed the character for five years between 1995 and 2000.

It was while he was still starring on Thuis that Cauwenberghs landed what would become his most iconic role: the sleepy and charmful Kabouter Lui in Kabouter Plop. The series, from Studio 100 and centering around a group of gnomes, aired from 1997 through 2002 and spawned numerous films and stage adaptations.

“He uniquely portrayed the sleepy, good-hearted leprechaun, with his recognizable voice and disarming humor,” Studio 100 said in tribute of Cauwenberghs. “Together with Kabouter Plop, Klus and Kwebbel he brought joy, wonder and friendship to generations of children.”

Cauwenberghs other acting credits include De bossen van Vlaanderen, Meester, hij begint weer!, Brussel Nieuwsstraat, Aspe, and a 2013 episode of Lang Leve.

Cauwenberghs stepped away from his acting career after he was diagnosed with throat and lymph node cancer in 2014. He was declared to be in remission in 2016, the same year he appeared in his final acting credit, the TV miniseries De leukste Sinterklaasliedjes!.

Paying tribute to the actor on social media, one fan wrote, “Rest in peace Chris Cauwenberghs. Sleep now softly in Gnome Dreamland.” Another added, “Rest in peace Chris Cauwenberghs, you made the childhood of thousands of children including mine.”