Dutch presenter Paul de Leeuw has announced the death of his mother, according to reports from NU, RTL.nl, De Telegraaf and AD.nl. She was 94 years old.
De Leeuw shared a short farewell message that Dutch media quoted as: "Dag mama, wat was het leuk" — roughly, "Bye mum, it was lovely." The same words appeared in headlines across several of the outlets covering the news on Wednesday.
Headliner.nl reported that De Leeuw has cleared his agenda for what it described as a very sad reason, suggesting he is stepping back from scheduled commitments for the time being. The other outlets did not add further detail on his plans in the material available.
De Leeuw is one of the best-known figures on Dutch television, and news of a family bereavement is widely covered in the Netherlands. The reports focused on his brief public message rather than on any funeral arrangements or further statements from him or his family.
No cause of death was given in the coverage, and the outlets did not publish additional personal details about his mother.
What to watch next: whether De Leeuw or his representatives issue a fuller statement, and when his scheduled broadcasts and appearances resume.