Much-loved Dutch comedian Wim de Bie dies at 83

Wim de Bie, half of the legendary comedy duo Van Kooten & De Bie has died aged 83 at his home in The Hague, broadcaster VPRO announced on Monday. De Bie had been suffering from Parkinson’s  disease for a number of years.

Wim de Bie and Kees van Kooten, who worked together for 38 years before they split up in 1998, made a variety of programmes for the broadcaster, satirising current affairs.

De Bie became best -known for a number of characters, including near-hermit Walter de Rochebrune, straight talking union official Aad van der Naad and therapist Memien Holboog.

Perhaps his most enduring character is dimwit muscle man with a big heart Tedje van Es, co-founder of the spoof political protest party De Tegenpartij.

The duo added countless new words and expressions to the Dutch language, such as ‘Hou je derbuiten, Cock’, ‘doemdenken’ and ‘regelneef’.

After the duo parted ways, De Bie went on to concentrate on his own work. He wrote nine novels, and four solo CDs as a singer. He was also one of the first people to write a blog.