Wilhelmus Albertus "Benny" Neyman (9 June 1951 in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

- 7 February 2008 in

Soesterberg Soesterberg is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Soest, and lies about 5 km northeast of Zeist, on the road between Amersfoort and Utrecht. It was the location of Soesterberg Air Base History The ...

, Netherlands) was a Dutch singer.

Biography

Neyman was born in

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

. In the beginning of the 1970s, he took a course at Kleinkunst Academy in Amsterdam. Neyman's first success came in 1980 with the song ''Ik weet niet hoe''. Several follow up singles also became hits, like ''Vrijgezel'' and ''Je hoeft me niet the zeggen hoe ik leven moet''. In 1985 Neyman scored his biggest hit with ''Waarom fluister ik je naam nog'' (number 1 position in some Dutch charts). From the second half of the 1980s Neyman had no major hits. However he still released a large number of albums and had several successful musical tours. Neyman received a Golden Harp in 1996. In 1999 Benny sang a duet with Dutch country singer Toni Willé ( Pussycat) "Oh, How I Miss You" and recorded the album "American Duets" with her in 2000 which was released in 2001. Neyman had been open about his sexual orientation from an early age, and was seen as a gay icon in the Netherlands. In 2005 he performed at the celebration for the Gay Krant (a Dutch LGBT publication). His health began to decline in 2006. After his previous manager quit, his partner Hans van Barneveld in 2006 became his new manager. In October 2007 his last album ''Onverwacht'' was released and his last performance, a tribute to the deceased

Conny Vandenbos Jacoba Adriana Hollestelle (16 January 1937 – 7 April 2002), known professionally as Conny Vandenbos, was a popular Dutch singer. She had her first radio hit in 1966 and continued to make hit recordings throughout the 1970s. She represented the ...

, took place on 2 December 2007. Neyman announced on 21 December 2007 that he suffered from an advanced form of cancer and that his prognosis was not clear. On 7 February 2008 Benny Neyman died at 56 years of age. He was cremated in Leusden, and several artists performed during the ceremony, including

Lenny Kuhr Helena Hubertina Johanna "Lenny" Kuhr (born 22 February 1950) is a Dutch singer-songwriter. Career In 1967, she started a singing career in the Netherlands, performing songs in the French chanson tradition. In 1969, she represented the Neth ...

. Posthumously, his partner of 25 years, Hans van Barneveld, compiled a 5-cd and 2-DVD box set ''Adieu-Oeuvre Overzicht 1974-2007'' which was released by CNR Music.

References

External links

Obituary

Official site
1951 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Dutch male singers Musicians from Maastricht Dutch LGBT singers Dutch gay musicians Deaths from cancer in the Netherlands Deaths from bone cancer Gay singers 20th-century Dutch LGBT people 21st-century Dutch LGBT people {{Netherlands-singer-stub