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Photo du rédacteurRalph Ruiz

2023: a year in review



Photos by different sources including Official Luv' and José Hoebee Fan Page


What happened in Luv' land in 2023?


The former Luv' singers can count on platforms that are regularly updated:

  • Five Facebook Pages (Official Luv', José Hoebee Fan Page, Marga Scheide, Ria Thielsch Fan Zone: Forever Yours, the Dutch-German Luv' Fan Page).

  • One Instagram account.

  • One Twitter account

  • My Luvgirlgroup site


*In February, there were rumours about a reissue of All You Need Is Luv', the group's final album (remastered & expanded edition) on CD and vinyl. A release date has yet to be revealed.


*Three sad events occurred: Michiel Gunning's passing, Hans van Hemert's ill health and Chimène van Oosterhout's heart failure.


*Chimène van Oosterhout kept writing columns for WendyOnline (Wendy van Dijk's online platform specialized in women's issues) and Wendy magazine. Moreover, she attended red carpet events and hosted several charity galas.


*Marga Scheide appeared publicly on several occasions, including events organized by DC Models and the release party of Stany Van Wymeersch's book "We All Love ABBA - Expanded Edition".


*José Hoebee attended her son Tim's wedding in Sardinia on June 17th.


*The tabloid press published articles about Hans van Hemert, Marga Scheide, José Hoebee & Chimène van Oosterhout.


* Ria Thielsch kept a low profile and enjoyed life with her family and friends.


* CW Miniaturen Dolls kept on making exclusive Luv' dolls.


The 2023 agenda of the ex-Luv' members in detail (with news of Hans van Hemert,

as a bonus):


  • January 5th, 2023: From Norway...with Luv'!

Interview with Marga Scheide in the Norwegian magazine "Ren nostalgi for alle...80 Tallet", dealing with pop culture from the 1980s. Click here to read it.







  • January 16th, 2023: Dutch channel ONS broadcast one episode of "Een bijzonder jaar" about the year 1979 featuring Luv' at the height of their career. Click here for details.





  • January 20th, 2023: Luv's camp and Latino track entitled "No Johnny No Can Do", taken from the "All You Need Is Luv'" album released in 1994, appeared on a Carnival compilation "Carnavals Krakers Vol. 7", released by Hit-It! Music.





  • January 22nd, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted pictures of Luv' dolls wearing the 1977 "My Man" costumes on its Facebook page.





  • January 29th, 2023: Dutch channel 192TV broadcast a special program about the greatest hits of the legendary record producer and songwriter Hans van Hemert.





  • February 1st, 2023: Marga Scheide, her partner Michiel Gunning, Renée Gunning and friends attended the Happy DC Year event at the Harbour Club in Amsterdam at the invitation of Dyon Hagenaars and Ger Valkenburg of DC Models. Click here for details.




  • February 4th, 2023: On World Cancer Day, the Facebook page of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's hospital (aka Netherlands Cancer Institute) broadcast an interview with Chimène van Oosterhout who discussed cancer. Click here for details.


  • February 15th, 2023: Weekend magazine featured an article about Hans van Hemert, who visited his longtime friend, media personality Tineke de Nooij in South Africa. Click here for details.




  • February 15th, 2023: Berk Music released "Hemelbier", a single by the Dutch party duo Lawineboys. This song is a cover version of Luv's classic hit "Trojan Horse", sung in Dutch. Click here for details.




  • February 19th, 2023: In a message posted on the "Nederlandse Meidengroepen & Zangeressen Facebook group", dealing with Dutch girl groups and female singers, Casper Janssen announced that a reissue of All You Need Is Luv', the group's final album (remastered & expanded edition) on CD and vinyl, "was in the pipeline". A release date has yet to be revealed. Click here for details.





  • February 24th, 2024: Chimène van Oosterhout participated in the Huishoudbeurs (houseware fair) in Amsterdam on the women's magazine "Wendy" stand. She hosted a workshop about recovery and health after illness.




  • February 24th, 2024: Chimène van Oosterhout's column for Wendy was about her one-day retreat and her workshop at the Huishoudbeurs. Click here to read it.




  • February 26th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted pictures of Luv' dolls wearing the 1980 "Ann-Maria" dresses on its Facebook page.





  • March 2023: The "Hei & Wei" magazine from Blaricum, the Netherlands, featured an article about Hans van Hemert. Click here to read the online version of this article.





  • March 8th, 2023: Privé magazine featured a short interview with Marga Scheide following her appearance at the Happy DC Year event at the Harbour Club in Amsterdam. Click here for details.




  • March 10th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout attended the opening of Laura Notari's international art exhibition “Equity” in Hilversum, the Netherlands.




  • March 16th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout hosted the [Z]aan Tafel gala in aid of breast cancer research at De Stoomhal in Wormer, the Netherlands. This event generated proceeds of more than € 105,000.





  • March 26th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted pictures of Luv' dolls wearing the 1979 "Lots Of Luv" saloon costumes and the 1979 "Lots of Luv" sailor suits on its Facebook page.






  • March 29th, 2023: Article in Privé magazine about José Hoebee's relationship with the legendary Dutch singer André Hazes, who passed away in 2004. Click here for details.




  • March 30th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout was present during the premiere of "Forever Young", a crossover show combining electronic music, dance and 360°-cinema at Escape Amsterdam.





  • April 2nd, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout posted a column for Wendy about the importance of putting things in life into perspective to be happier. Click here to read her text.


  • April 5th, 2023: Story magazine featured an article about Chimène van Oosterhout. The TV presenter explained that her 20-year-old son Lyam supported her when she got breast cancer for the third time. After her remission in late 2021, her father and mother passed away. "During this terrible time, Lyam was a great support to me. He had already left home, but I could always count on him," she said.





  • April 17th, 2023: In a message posted on Facebook, music professional Casper Janssen announced a list of unreleased songs recorded by Marga Scheide and Luv's 1990-1992 lineup (consisting of Diana van Berlo, Carina Lemoine and Marga). These songs are part of the archives of record producer Jacques Zwart, Marga's partner, who passed away twenty years ago. It is uncertain if these songs will come out. Click here for details.





  • April 22nd, 2023: Phone interview with José Hoebee on Omroep Brabant's radio show "Graat & De Laat" as part of a "1970s weekend". Click here for details.




  • April 26th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout discussed breast cancer on the Kanjer.nl podcast. She Click here to listen to it.


  • May 6th, 2023: German channel RBB reran the August 13th, 1977 episode of the iconic show "Musikladen" featuring Luv' performing their debut single "My Man".


  • May 10th, 2023: Article in Privé magazine about celebrity family feuds (including José Hoebee and her sisters).




  • May 10th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout attended a party at De Kroon Restaurant & Club in Amsterdam in honour of the premiere of Roy Donders' new reality series "Roy Donders: Altijd Wat Bijzonders" on TLC and discovery+.





  • May 11th, 2023: Episode 7 of "History Repeating", a Canadian radio show on SpiritLive (a web-streaming broadcast station) hosted by Ryan Gray, featured an interview with José Hoebee in English. The program focused on Luv's glory years (1977-1981) and José's solo work and duets with Bonnie St Claire, covering ABBA songs in Dutch in the 1980s. Click here for details.





  • May 12th, 2023: ANRO Productions VOF released a new cover of Bonnie & José's classic hit "Zoals Vrienden Doen" recorded by Roy van der Veen & Akkelien Edes. "Zoals Vrienden Doen" was the Dutch version of ABBA's "The Way Old Friends Do" from 1985. Click here for details.





  • May 13th, 2023: In her column for Wendy, Chimène van Oosterhout told what gave her force after her breast cancer and the loss of her parents. Click here to read her text.


  • May 17th, 2023: Interview with José Hoebee in Privé magazine. The singer discussed the Brabantian accent and the use of the hard and soft "G" in Dutch. Click here for details.





  • May 19th, 2023: Corné Klijn and Jan Paparazzi interviewed Marga Scheide on their show, "De Weekendborrel", on AVROTROS/NPO Radio 5. Click here for details.




  • May 19th, 2023: AVROTROS/NPO 3 reran the third episode of "Het beste van...de jaren 80". One part of the program dealt with Dutch girl groups from this era. It included a clip from Luv's hit "One More Little Kissy". Click here for more details.



Giel Beelen discussing Luv' on "Het beste van...de jaren 80"


  • May 20th, 2023: German channel SWR aired the music program "Die 100 besten Kulthits der 70er", including the 100 greatest hits from the 1970s. Luv's iconic performance of "You're the Greatest Lover" on "Musikladen" was broadcast during this nostalgic TV show.


  • May 22nd, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout gave a speech about women's mental problems as part of the "EVA = geen ADAM" symposium at Schouwburg Het Park in Hoorn, the Netherlands.


  • May 23rd, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout attended the Dutch premiere of the Disney film "The Little Mermaid" at the Tuschinski Movie Theatre in Amsterdam.





  • May 29th, 2023: Dutch channel ONS reran one episode of "Een bijzonder jaar" about the year 1979 featuring Luv'.


  • June 1st, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout participated in a workshop about inclusion, diversity, leadership & goals at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, the Netherlands.





  • June 5th, 2023: De Telegraaf featured an article about Marga Scheide and her partner, Michiel Gunning, in its "Privé" (entertainment news) section. The former Luv' singer revealed sad news: after four years of fighting colon and lung cancer, Michiel was told that doctors could no longer do anything for him. Click here for details.





  • June 5th, 2023: SBS6's infotainment news program "Shownieuws" featured an item about Marga Scheide's revelation concerning Michiel Gunning's ill health.


  • June 7th, 2023: Privé magazine featured an article about Marga and Michiel's tragedy.




  • June 10th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout posted a column on WendyOnline.nl about racism in the Netherlands. Click here to read it.



  • June 11th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted pictures of Luv' dolls wearing the 1980 "My Number One" military outfits on its Facebook page.





  • June 14th, 2023: Marga Scheide in Privé: "Luv's biopic is too expensive for the Netherlands!". Click here for details.





  • June 23rd, 2023: "You're the Greatest Lover" by Luv' reached #499 on De Foute 1500, a list of the 1500 kitschiest pop tracks of all time set up by Dutch radio station Qmusic.




  • June 24th, 2023: The Official Luv' Facebook page announced Michiel Gunning's passing. May he rest in peace. Click here for details.





  • June 26th, 2023: Qmusic's Flemish sister station also set up its own list of kitsch classics named "De Foute 728" . "You're the Greatest Lover" reached #491.




  • June 28th, 2023: Privé magazine featured an article about José Hoebee, who attended her son Tim's wedding in Sardinia on June 17th. Click here for details. 




  • June 28th, 2023: Privé and Story featured articles about Michiel's passing.



Story- June 28th, 2023


Privé - June 28th, 2023



  • June 30th, 2023: De Telegraaf posted an article following Michiel Gunning's funeral, which took place at the Arsenaal in Naarden, the Netherlands, on June 29th. Family, friends, loyal fans and fellow celebrities (including José Hoebee, Hans Klok, Rob and Ferdi Bolland and Mick Harren) celebrated Michiel and paid tribute to this wonderful man. We will never forget him.



De Telegraaf - June 30th, 2023


  • July 4th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted pictures of Luv' dolls wearing their legendary leather dresses on its Facebook page.





  • July 8th, 2023: Dutch media personality Tanja Jess posted a message on Instagram informing that her friend, Chimène van Oosterhout, had been urgently admitted to the hospital in Athens, Greece, due to heart failure. The Dutch media (including the websites of De Telegraaf, AD, Margriet, RTL Boulevard, Party, Mediacourant, Linda, Story, Weekend, NU...) reported the sad news. Patty Brard and her team discussed this tragedy on the July 8th edition of SBS6's infotainment news program "Shownieuws". Click here for details.





  • July 8th, 2023: German channel RBB reran the September 21st, 1978 episode of "Musikladen" featuring Luv' performing "You're the Greatest Lover",




  • July 12th, 2023: Weekend featured an interview with Marga Scheide and Privé published a short article about the Dutch music legend Rob Bolland, who gave a speech during Michiel's memorial.




Weekend - July 12th, 2023




Privé - July 12th, 2023


  • July 19th, 2023: Marga Scheide in Story.




  • July 19th, 2023: De Telegraaf featured an article about Hans van Hemert's ill health in its Privé section. Click here for details.




  • July 21st, 2023: Tanja Jess and Chimène van Oosterhout appeared on the July 21st edition of RTL 4's infotainment news program RTL Boulevard to discuss Chimène's health problems in Greece. Click here for details.



Tanja Jess and Chimène van Oosterhout on RTL Boulevard


  • July 2023: De Showbuzz magazine (published in association with Weekend and Party) featured articles about Patty Brard, Chimène van Oosterhout and Hans van Hemert.



Chimène's favourite cocktail: Mojito


  • July 26th, 2023: Marga Scheide in Privé: "I know what Hans van Hemert is going through". Click here for details.




  • July 26th, 2023: Story magazine included an article about Hans van Hemert. "If the chemo doesn't succeed, I'll die soon," he said. Click here for details.




  • July 27th, 2023: De Telegraaf's website posted an article about Chimène van Oosterhout in its entertainment section. Click here to read an excerpt. Her best friend in showbiz, media personality Tanja Jess, who helped her during her health problems in Greece, told what occurred in Kos.




  • August 3rd, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout's column for Wendy about her medical wonder after her nightmare on the Greek island of Kos. Click here to read it.


  • Summer 2023: The summer issue of Wendy magazine featured a column written by Chimène van Oosterhout about her love for the island of Rhodes before her medical incident.





  • August 4th, 2023: RBB reran the March 22nd, 1979 episode of Musikladen featuring the All You Need Is Luv' medley.




  • August 9th, 2023: Weekend magazine featured an interview with Marga Scheide. More than a month after the passing of her partner Michiel Gunning, the former Luv' singer tried to bounce back. Click here for details.





  • August 23rd, 2023: Privé magazine featured a short article about Marga Scheide's presence at the release party of Stany Van Wymeersch's book "We All Love ABBA - Expanded Edition" in Ghent, Belgium.




  • August 30th, 2023: Weekend magazine featured an interview with José Hoebee. Luv's former lead singer missed Michiel Gunning a lot. "We sent each other jokes by WhatsApp. He was a nice man. We had the same sense of humour, and we clicked. It's not fair that Michiel has gone," José said. Click here for details.






  • August 30th, 2023: José Hoebee in Privé: "Even my psychologist cannot help me". Click here for details.







  • September 2nd, 2023: September 2nd saw the 45th anniversary of Luv's signature song, "You're the Greatest Lover", as a #1 hit single on the Dutch Top 40. On this occasion, Marga Scheide gave a phone interview on Felix Meurders' show "FM op 5" on BNNVARA/NPO Radio 5. Click here for details.





  • September 6th, 2023: Marga Scheide in Privé: "I'll go on a cruise on Michiel's 70th birthday". Click here for details.






  • September 10th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout posted a column for Wendy about letting go. Click here to read it.


  • September 28th, 2023: De Telegraaf featured an article about Hans van Hemert and Willy Betist in its "Privé" (entertainment news) section. Click here to read the article online. After the announcement of Hans' ill health, things went better. "It is nothing less than a miracle. Hans is so strong. He has now completed a second round of chemotherapy, and on Wednesday morning, we heard that the tumours have shrunk, and the prognosis is suddenly a lot better. The disease has not gone, but it's suddenly taken such a completely new turn that there is plenty of hope again," Willy explained.






  • September 29th, 2023: José Hoebee and Marga Scheide reacted to the announcement of the Videoland series based on Patty Brard's life in De Telegraaf. Click here for details.






  • September 30th, 2023: German channel RBB reran Musikladen's August 30th, 1979 episode featuring Eeny Meeny Miny Moe by Luv'.


  • October 6th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout hosted a fundraising gala for Stichting Beter Lopen, a foundation that helps people with a physical disability walk again. This event raised €200.300 and promoted the Lokomat, a robot-assisted walking therapy. Click here for details.




  • October 7th, 2023: Marga Scheide and other artists participated in the release party of Stany Van Wymeersch's book "We All Love ABBA - Expanded Edition" at AtelierGent74 in Ghent, Belgium. The new edition of Stany's publication includes a chapter about Marga's late partner, Michiel Gunning. Click here for details.



Klaas Tomme, Sebastiaan van Wijmeersch, Govert de Roos, Dick Kooiman, Marga Scheide, Philippe Elan, Embracing Franki, Stany Van Wijmeersch and Maggie MacNeal.


  • October 7th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout wrote a column for Wendy related to October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Click here to read it.



  • October 7th 2023: Vrouw (a women's magazine, supplement to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf) featured an interview with Chimène van Oosterhout. The multi-talented lady explained what she went through when her heart failure occurred and how she lived on. Click here for details.














  • October 8th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted on Facebook pictures of Luv' dolls wearing their legendary colourful jumpsuits used for the front cover of their debut album "With Luv'" from 1978.





  • October 8th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout appeared on RTL 7's program, "Business Class", with Dutch entrepreneur Diederik van Nederveen to promote "Amino Alliance". The powder with L-arginine ensures that more oxygen can be absorbed into your blood, with all the positive consequences that entails, such as a better night's sleep and more energy. It is suitable for everyone and is also used by top athletes. Chimène talked about her good experience with the product. Click here for details.




  • October 9th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout participated in another fundraising gala for the Breast Care Foundation in association with the Alexander Monro Hospital, specializing in breast cancer and which celebrated its 10th anniversary. This event, which took place at Hart van Holland in Nijkerk, raised €1.7 million. Click here for details.





  • October 11th, 2023: Weekend featured a short article about Dutch celebrities (including José Hoebee and Marga Scheide) discussing autumn blues. Click here for details.






  • October 14th, 2023: German channel RBB reran Musikladen's December 13th, 1979 episode featuring Ooh, Yes I Do by Luv'.




  • October 18th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout's interview posted on the Verhuisdieren's blog. The former Luv' singer discussed her love for her dogs, Spotty and Simba. Click here to read it.




  • October 25th, 2023: Privé magazine featured an interview with Marga Scheide conducted by the celebrity gossip columnist Jan Uriot. Click here for details.




  • October 28th, 2023: German channel RBB reran the April 10th, 1980 episode of "Musikladen" featuring Luv' performing "Ann-Maria".




  • November 8th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout posted on social media photos and videos of herself participating in an honourable project developed by the Livingseas Foundation. The multi-talented media personality was the lucky winner of the Tui Care Foundation and Disney contest to plant coral in Bali, Indonesia. Click here for details.





  • November 13th, 2023: Cw Miniaturen Dolls posted on Facebook pictures of Luv' dolls wearing their legendary "U.O.Me" costumes used during AVRO's TopPop in 1978.





  • November 13th, 2023: Dutch magazine Nieuwe Revu asked personalities, including Marga Scheide, to comment on Patty's age. "Patty, too old? I don't think so. I'm not interested in this issue. I don't watch much television. I never watch Shownieuws. Do I still have good contact with Patty? No. Of course, we stopped a long time ago," Marga said.


  • Autumn-Winter 2023: De Showbuzz magazine (published in association with Weekend and Party) featured an interview with Marga Scheide. The former Luv' singer discussed several subjects (the loss of her partner Michiel Gunning, the Videoland series based on Patty Brard's life and the future). Click here for details.



  • November 22nd, 2023: The Omroep MAX/NPO 1 talk show "Tijd Voor Max" featured an excerpt from a funny video showing how Luv's Greatest Lover was used by the GroenLinks politician Esmah Lahlah for her election manifesto.


  • November 28th, 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout posted a column for WendyOnline.nl in which she wrote her "challenges" (including her health and her relationship with her son) were secondary compared to serious issues such as the War in Ukraine and Gaza. Click here to read it.



  • Late November-December 2023: Chimène van Oosterhout and Diederik van Nederveen (of Amino Alliance) took part in the filming of one episode of the RTL 4's program "Nederland Ontdekt".





  • December 2023: Dutch station Radio 10 recently asked its listeners to vote for the "4000 greatest songs of all time". Luv's signature song, "You're the Greatest Lover", peaked at #2820.


  • December 1st, 2023: German channel RBB reran the November 13th, 1980 episode of the iconic show "Musikladen" featuring Luv' performing "My Number One".





  • December 5th, 2023: The Omroep Max/NPO 2 quiz featured a question about Luv'. The group's breakthrough hit from 1978, "U.O.Me" (Theme from Waldolala)", was used for this question.


  • December 13th, 2023: Story magazine featured an article about Chimène van Oosterhout. The larger-than-life celebrity discussed several subjects, including her health issues and her son Lyam. Click here for details.




Lyam & Chimène



  • December 14th, 2023: The website of Story magazine posted a portrait of Marga Scheide illustrated with beautiful photos. Click here to read it.