READ ALSO. A forced outing, a riot with Peter Vanlaet and the most expensive single of all time: Get Ready! stops permanently after 30 years on stage
De Gendt died last night at his home in Putte. He had just returned from a holiday in Spain. According to the public prosecutor’s office, it is a suicide. Together with Jimmy Samijn, Jean-Marie (JM) Desreux and Koen Bruggemans, Glenn De Gendt formed the Flemish boy band Get Ready! in the nineties.
“This is hitting hard”
Marc Debouver, manager and founder of the band, responds to reports on behalf of the band. “We heard the news last night. This really hits hard. We are really devastated. It may be silly, but those four boys are my children. We have come a long way, with many ups and downs.”
From left: Jimmy Samijn, Glenn De Gendt, Jean-Marie ‘JM’ Desreux and Koen Bruggemans. — © Kris Van Exel
Glenn was once again struggling with his health, which meant he had to miss several performances. “He could no longer function on stage,” says Debouver. “A nerve was pinched between his cervical vertebra, he could no longer move and was really in pain. He had an operation for this, after which the pain and the problem disappeared. We were really shocked, suddenly we saw the cheerful, alive, energetic Glenn that we knew in those early days, but who seemed to have disappeared a long time ago.”
READ ALSO. Get Ready!’s comeback: “Some women still think we can be converted”
The singer had been struggling with health problems for some time. In 2011 he suffered a cardiac arrest and ended up in a coma. Seven years later, he spoke candidly in an interview about how he still suffered the consequences. “I have suffered brain damage,” he said at the time Hello everyone. “My memory plays tricks on me, I sometimes do it beeps and suffer from balance disorders.”
Took everything out
Get Ready! scored nine number one hits in the Flemish top ten in three years, but never reached first place in the general Ultratop 50. They were stuck in second place no less than three times, with Let, Fire in Waiting for you. That last song was a cover of Right here waiting by Richard Marx. Their most famous song is Marjolijn.
Jimmy, Koen, Jean-Marie and Glenn: the original line-up. — © vtm
After thirty wonderful years, the band announced last year that they will stop in 2025. “All four of us have reached the point where we have made the most of it. After (almost, ed.) thirty years, we think it’s time to say goodbye,” we heard from the band at the time. They said goodbye to their fans during a farewell tour that started at the end of June.
“This is not the ending we had in mind,” says Debouver. “They had another performance next weekend, and there was a big farewell on April 26. I have no idea what that will be now; or whether it will continue at all. I absolutely can’t think about it yet.”
Anyone with questions about suicide can contact the Suicide Line on the toll-free number 1813 and on the website www.zelfbloed1813.be.
