TV journalist, newsreader and sports reporter Chris Van den Abeele has died at the age of 61. The news was confirmed by his employers, who wrote: "VRT NWS journalist Chris Van den Abeele (61) has passed away. The news service is responding to his death. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends, many of whom work on the news floor themselves." No cause of death was released, but in October 2021, he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had urgent surgery, and his prostate and surrounding lymph nodes had to be removed.
To mark the Day Against Cancer a year later in 2022, he wrote about his illness for the VRT NWS website. "Prostate cancer destabilises your identity as a man. It's also a cancer with dire consequences: it significantly impacts your sex life. I now know that it takes more than just a few months to come to terms with it," he penned, adding: "I'm doing pretty well. I'm a cancer patient, and I'm a happy person."
The star worked as a reporter and presenter on numerous shows, including Terzake, Panorama, Extra Time and De Zevende Dag.
He won huge acclaim in 2006 for his Panorama report Tackled by the Mafia, which sent shockwaves through the football world when he revealed how the Chinese gambling mafia influenced Belgian football.
In 2012, he suffered a well-publicised burnout and left television to focus on radio.
Outside of his career, he volunteered with organisations helping people with young dementia and acted as a stadium commentator for the blind and visually impaired in Antwerp.
Tributes flooded in for the star after his death was announced. "His 'That was something new' sounded so familiar and relatable, and sometimes even comforting. A brilliant radio voice and a truly wonderful, genuine person!" one person wrote on Facebook. "The news will be less colourful without him from now on," another added.
A third chimed in: "Such a warm and pleasant voice that always kept me company when I was driving home from a meeting late at night... rest in peace." A fourth shared: "A fantastic man, one of the 'better' journalists in my opinion! A great loss! Condolences to his loved ones and family."
Meanwhile, a fifth recalled: "A golden radio voice full of character who left us. Far too soon. I still remember his joke about actress Immanuelle Grives, who was caught with drugs at Tomorrowland and excused herself by saying she was preparing for a role as a drug dealer. 'Luckily, she wasn't trying to prepare for a role as a serial killer,' (he quipped)."
