Norbert from ESC Dublin to Amsterdam informed us of the death of another Eurovision artist. This time it is one member of a duo that sang for Belgium at the Eurovision song contest.
Nicole, the female of the duo Nicole & Hugo, passed away at the age of 76, after falling down the stairs in her home. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
The duo met in 1970 and became romantically involved and formed a singing duet. On December 1, 1971, Nicole & Hugo got married at Wemmel.
In 1971, they entered into the Belgian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest and they won the Belgian final with Goeiemorgen, morgen. Prior to their departure to Dublin for the international competition, Nicole fell ill and the duo were unable to attend. They were replaced in their absence by Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel.
Two years later they succeeded in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest finals when Baby, Baby won the Belgian national pre-selection. Their performance in Luxembourg was memorable because of their purple flared jump suits and their dance routine.
In the 1974 World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, their fortunes improved. They came second with the song Met De Zomer Mee. They also received the Outstanding Composition Award at the same festival. During the 1970s, they toured extensively internationally.
In 1984, they accepted an offer to entertain on cruise ships, sailing around the world in the process and on 20 October 1990, they were awarded with a medal by the Belgian Authors Society SABAM for their contributions to the Flemish entertainment industry.
In 2004, they tried again, after 29 years, at the Eurovision Song Contest. They entered the Flemish pre-selections, with Love is all Around. They placed second in the first round, but scored low with the jury, so failed to make it to the final round.
In 2005, they appeared on Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, the 50th anniversary show of the Eurovision Song Contest. They appeared in all of the compilation videos and finally appeared on stage in the 1973 costumes. They then sang a shortened version of Baby, Baby.