We have the very sad news to report today that the Child of Lov passed away on Dec. 10. He was 26.
The Dutch singer/songwriter/producer, whose real name is Cole Williams, hopped on our radar back in May 2012, with an incredibly catchy song called “Heal“. And in the ensuing months, he continued to build anticipation for what was sounding like a kick-ass debut album with features from DOOM and Damon Albarn. Sure enough, the somewhat-mysterious artist’s self-titled first effort was a great one, a sentiment made clear in our album review.
The cause of Williams’ death has not yet been released, though NME apparently reported that it was from complications following surgery. They also shared this message from his manager:
“On behalf of the family and as his manager I must announce that Martijn Teerlinck aka Cole Williams aka The Child of Lov aka Sun Patzer is no longer with us. He lived a life of struggle and can now rest peacefully. In his own words: ‘When I was younger, I had a tough time physically. I have seen too many hospital beds. It made me stronger. Makes you realize death is always near, for anyone. And what a wonderful thing life is and how grateful we should be.”
You can watch his videos for “Give Me” and “Heal” below. RIP.
His real name isn’t Cole Williams; it’s Martijn Teerlinck. He indeed died of complications following surgery. He always had a very frail health and he lived his years with the knowledge of dying at any time.