Asse (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Frank Dingenen’s passing saddened the entire Asse community because he spent his last few years at the assisted living facility located there. He arranged musical quizzes as part of his activities with the senior residents at his residence. “Frank had something magical”, says director Lieven Baert.
Local residents of Asse grieve following the departure of Frank Dingenen, who was known as both actor, singer and quizmaster before his death. At the assisted living facility in Asse, Dingenen managed weekly trivia events and music quizzes that brought joy to his elderly community members. Lieven Baert, director of the assisted living facilities, described Dingenen as having “something magical,” highlighting his ability to connect with people through his engaging personality and activities.
“I met Frank about 7 years ago,”
Says director Lieven Baert.
“He lived in Kraainem at the time, and he told me that he wanted to do something to entertain people. And that’s what he came to do with us.”
Also, when he moved into one of the assisted living homes himself a few years ago.
“He went to all our residences of Time4Quality in Flanders with a music quiz and trivia questions. And that was very popular with his fellow residents.”
In addition, Frank Dingenen was still the man of popular television programs such as ‘Meester hij begint weer’ or radio programs such as ‘De Zoete inval’.
“Frank had something magical when the show started, he transformed into a completely different person. The Frank of the quiz was the Frank of television and radio.”
The director expects that many fellow residents will be shocked by
the news of his death. In addition to the quizzes, he also regularly kept the cafeteria open.
“He wanted to do that, be among people, have a chat with them. For us, that is a great loss.”
Who was Frank Dingenen before his time in assisted living?
Belgian entertainer Frank Dingenen made a lasting impact across television, radio and live entertainment for many years throughout his decades-long career. The Belgian entertainer became prominent as an actor and singer through his breakthrough performance in the widely popular television show Meester hij begint weer.
Audiences loved his combination of humour and charming charisma in the show. Dingenen used radio as a platform to build his audience by developing programs such as De Zoete Inval, which demonstrated his talent beyond acting performances. The way Dingenen connected with people exceeded television and radio because he regularly participated in community-based activities.
Dingen maintained his residence in Kraainem before transitioning to assisted living and showed a desire to make people happy by entertaining them, which he continued to use as he moved on to benefit his senior living neighbours.
