Thousands of fans wave away from the ship with the pitcher and Arnaud’s family in Ostend

In accordance with Arnaud’s last wish, his ashes and an urn were deposited at sea for his beloved Ostend. It was the converted fishing vessel Albatros of the shipping company Franlils that entered the port channel shortly after 3 pm. Accompanied by the shipping police, the ship sailed near Westerstaketsel so that thousands could see the urn and the portrait of the deceased singer on the lower deck.

I became very quiet. He sang the song “Les yeux de ma mère”. Many cried and waved to the greatest Ostend singer ever, for the last time. The numerous gestures on board were also clearly appreciated. My best memories go back 40 years when I met him at one of his shows. I continued to pursue him. I was present at Haag Fakhri at the Film Festival where I saw him for the last time. He was then weak, but strong. So I also had to be here today to give him one last nice homage,” says Isabelle Vandymaile.

This was also the motivation of Christoph Lake: “I am here to honor Arnaud as ambassador to Ostend. His father was my in-laws’ neighbor. We also met Arnaud several times. Conversations with him remained with me. It is touching to be here today.”

Mireille Zeebrock: I grew up with his music. My son was named after Arno. I insisted on being here on the pier. Another resident of Ostend recalls: “The last time there were so many people on the docks was in 1997, when the RMT ships last set sail.”

There was also concert organizer Nico Geldof: “I organized another concert with Arno in 2018 and felt it was my duty to give him one last tribute.” There was also a big fan of Guy Vanholbeck: “The fans who were devoted to him should have been here today. I can’t miss here because Arnaud has done so much for me and brought me so much happiness. I’ve watched over 1000 concerts and had to be here. Many also walked to the end of the pier to say goodbye to Arno.