Summer of 1980: Ria Thielsch to Luv's Rescue (Part 1)

Ralph Ruiz
22 août
5 min de lecture

When Luv’s Future Hung in the Balance

Photo edited by Marco Rens

Stay tuned for part 2 of our article next month!

Exactly forty-five years ago, on August 22, 1980, Ria Thielsch performed for the first time with Luv', stepping in as a replacement for Patty Brard. This event marked a promising start alongside Marga Scheide and José Hoebee, although it took several weeks before Ria became a permanent member of the group.

Patty's unexpected departure from Luv' in July 1980 cast a shadow over the trio. The Dutch press and fans were perplexed by the reasons behind her exit. On the surface, everything seemed fine; Patty, Marga, and José had experienced significant success since 1978. However, tensions simmered beneath the surface. Patty was romantically involved with Italian record producer Carlo Nasi, who resided and worked in Los Angeles, far from the European-based group. She grew weary of Luv's demanding schedule, which was increasingly challenging to balance with her personal life. Instead of communicating directly, she only interacted with the other girls and her manager through her lawyer. Struggling with stress, her doctor recommended a month-long sick leave. This unfortunate news was devastating for the trio, particularly as they had ambitious plans ahead, including a promotional tour in the USSR, participation in the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan, and the filming of a TV series. Suddenly, all these projects had to be canceled.

Patty's last public appearance with her Luv' colleagues, Marga and José, before she left the group (late June 1980) - photo edited by Marco Rens

When it became clear that Patty would not be returning, a replacement needed to be found. Record producer Hans van Hemert and manager Pim ter Linde worked behind the scenes to come up with a quick solution. It was crucial for Luv' to continue performing, with or without Patty, due to several looming legal obligations. In Zevenhuizen, the owner of a nightclub threatened legal action if the group failed to appear on August 22, 1980. If they did not perform, Luv' risked incurring a penalty of 50,000 Dutch guilders. To avoid this fine, a new member had to be recruited.

Photo model Ria Thielsch, born on August 25, 1951, in Manokwari, Dutch New Guinea (now West Papua, Indonesia), was selected as the replacement. Marga was familiar with Ria from her modeling career prior to joining Luv'. Like Patty, Ria had Indonesian and New Guinean roots and shared a similar appearance.

At 17, Ria began a modeling career in the late 1960s, inspired by her older sister, who was already working as a model. Through her sibling’s influence and connections, she entered the industry, and the two even worked together at times. During that era, British model Twiggy had taken the fashion world by storm, becoming an international icon.

Ria and her sister in the 1970s

In 1978, she performed as a limbo dancer and was a member of Ricardo & The Flames, a group led by the fire eater Ricardo Aziz. In 1979, they recorded the single "Trinidad", produced by Roy Beltman, known for his collaborations with the band BZN. This record failed to chart.

Front cover of the "Trinidad" single by Ricardo and The Flames - released by Mercury Records in 1979

Photo edited by Marco Rens

In my 2017 interview with Ria, posted on my former Luv’ blog, she recalled first meeting the group while performing with Ricardo & The Flames: "My first encounter with Luv’ was in 1979, when I was a limbo dancer and a member of Ricardo & The Flames. We had just released a single that flopped, and we appeared on the same TV show as Luv’ in Switzerland. That’s when I first saw Patty, José, and Marga with their manager, Pim ter Linde. We all lunched backstage, and they happened to be sitting right in front of me. They kept staring, so I asked a colleague, ‘Who are they? Why are they looking at me like that?’ She told me, ‘That’s Luv.’ I replied, ‘Oh, I’ve never heard of them.’ I didn’t know their music at all. I was more into American and British bands, like Dire Straits. At the time, I danced on weekends and worked full-time as a model."

Here's how Ria recalled joining Luv': "After Patty left the group, Pim contacted me because they still had legal obligations to fulfill. He remembered our earlier meeting in Switzerland. At that time, the owner of a club was threatening to sue Luv' if they didn’t perform. To avoid penalties, they needed to recruit a new member. I auditioned by singing a Linda Ronstadt song, accompanied on guitar by Piet Souer, who co-wrote Luv’s songs with Hans van Hemert. That’s how I got the job.”

Ria started to rehearse with her new colleagues shortly after Patty's defection. Meanwhile, record producer Hans van Hemert and manager Pim ter Linde confirmed to the press that Luv' would go on, whatever the line-up. In an interview published in De Telegraaf on August 19, Van Hemert explained that five singles (recorded with Patty) were scheduled for release and that her illness caused Luv' to lose thousands of guilders. So the end of the group was out of the question.

At first, Luv's team was reluctant to Ria's recruitment due to her resemblance to Patty. Her first performance with Marga and José in Zevenhuizen on August 22, 1980, was supposed to be a one-off. One day after this show, the press mentioned Patty's replacement and even misspelt her name (Ria Thiel, Ria Tiel or Ria Tiels instead of Ria Thielsch).