Editor’s spotlight — updated daily
Jacques Brel
Belgium
Jacques Brel, a Belgian singer-songwriter known for songs like 'Amsterdam' and 'Ne me quitte pas', was born in Schaerbeek, Brussels in 1929. After working in his father's cardboard factory, he joined the Catholic-humanist youth organization Franche Cordée, where he started acting and singing. He moved to Paris in the early 1950s and achieved success with songs including 'Amsterdam' and 'La Valse a Mille Temps'. In 1966, at the height of his fame, he quit performing on stage and turned to acting, appearing in films such as 'A Pain in the Ass' 1973. He also directed two films and attempted to sail around the world, ending up in the Marquesas Islands in 1976. Brel died of lung cancer in 1978 and was buried next to Gauguin's grave on Hiva Oa.
