The artist, who has become a national icon in his country and sometimes compared to Alain Bashung or Tom Waits, of the same generation as him, announced in February 2020 that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer.

"Damn, damn it was really good. Arno left us. We will all miss him, his family, his friends, his musicians, but he will always be there thanks to the music that kept him going until the end “, wrote his Belgian agent Filip De Groote in a press release.

Born on May 21, 1949 in Ostend, a Flemish coastal town to which he remained very attached and which he evokes in his songs, Arno Hintjens began his career with the rock group TC Matic in the 80s, notably with the song " Putain, putain" ("Damn, damn, it's really good, we're still all Europeans") -- recently taken up in duet with another Belgian, Stromae.

It was in solo that he then revealed himself to a wider audience, thanks to songs like "My mother's eyes" or his cover of "Girls by the sea" by another Belgian, Adamo.

"He is a huge singer and poet, the Belgian national monument. And a monument of Europe, with + Fuck, Fuck ... + He leaves when we need Europe the most", reacted to AFP Boris Vedel, director of the Printemps de Bourges festival, where Arno had passed.

-"European soul"-

On February 21, in his usual black stage costume, Arno was received under the golds of the royal palace in Brussels by King Philippe, who hailed "an icon of the Belgian stage".

The Belgian singer, who assured "not to have borders in the head", "embodied a certain belgitude, the fusion of the North and the South of the country, the European soul and of course so much poetry", abounded Saturday Céline Tellier , Walloon Minister for the Environment.

"Rust zacht (rest in peace) Arno. It was magnificent!" Reacted Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in a bilingual message.

Ostend "in mourning" hailed "a living legend", "one of its main ambassadors".

In Brussels, of which he was an honorary citizen, "we will no longer see his silhouette in the Sainte-Catherine district. Damn damn, we already miss him", lamented the mayor Philippe Close.

Arno had announced his illness in full promotion of an album ("Santeboutique", released in September 2019).

He had to interrupt his tour to undergo an operation.

The pandemic then thwarted the resumption of shows, even if he was able to record a new album ("Vivre", with the French pianist Sofiane Pamart, released at the end of May 2021) before being hospitalized again.

He finally got back on stage in February 2022, scheduling half a dozen dates in Brussels and Ostend for a tour called "Vivre", these five letters illuminating in red a scene plunged into darkness.

Belgian singer Arno, who died at the age of 72, during a concert in Paris on February 11, 2020 Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP / Archives

-"Only the truth counts"-

During his last shows, the artist, sitting in front of a microphone, with an emaciated face, regularly alluded to his state of health.

At the end of a piece in which he was whistling accompanied by the piano, he had joked about his hesitations and his supposed diminished abilities: "Sorry for the whistling, it works more like before, it's like my zizi", he had launched , triggering laughter from the audience.

"The next track is called Lady Alcohol, I have a relationship with her and it's over, I'm happy", also said the singer, father of several boys but very discreet about his private life.

However, he often mentioned his mother, who died prematurely.

Recently, after having sung on stage "The Eyes of my mother", one of his most famous titles, he had confided to the public that he would soon be going to join her "up there".

To preserve his strength, the singer had to cancel the last date of this mini-tour, March 15 at the Old Belgium (AB), a legendary rock venue in Brussels.

"In the state in which I am today, the past no longer exists, only the truth counts", confided Arno on March 23 during a final interview with France Inter.

"Music still saves me by preserving my state of mind", he added, ensuring that he was still preparing an album and having written a song intended to be performed with... Mireille Mathieu.

"I had a wonderful life, I traveled all over the world thanks to music, I enjoyed life. I take this happiness with me. Thank you life!", he concluded.

© 2022 AFP