COPENHAGEN (VIP-NEWS) –Denmark’s most beloved singer, Kim Larsen, has died at the age of 72.
Larsen, who had been ill for some time, died Sunday morning, his publicist Jørn Jeppesen has confirmed.
The singer passed away in the company of his current wife and his six children.
Despite a prostate cancer diagnosis earlier this year, Larsen still managed to fulfill a number of appearances, including one at Smukfest in August.
With his captivating and sometimes banal pop lyrics, Larsen is perhaps Denmark’s biggest cultural icon. He has been one of the country’s most popular artists since the 1970s and has sold millions of records.
He first sprang to fame as the lead singer of the legendary band Gasolin’, and when they broke up in 1978 he went on to greater achievements as a solo artist.
In 1984, Larsen co-wrote and starred in the film “Midt om natten”. He also wrote and played most of the music from the film, the soundtrack of which is among the best-selling Danish albums of all time.
There won’t be a dry eye in Denmark as his song ‘Om lidt bli’r her stille, a national favorite at funerals, is played all over the airwaves this coming week.
In 2006, Larsen declined the Knight`s Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog, saying that he disapproved of the notion of bestowing personal honors. Four years later, he performed for Queen Margrethe on the occasion of her 70th birthday.
It is hard to overstate Larsen’s popularity amongst Danes. His songs have been the soundtrack for the lives of several generations and are likely to live on forever.
Quite simply, Denmark has lost its Elvis.
