LA HULPE: Hundreds of people turned out Saturday to pay their respects at the funeral of Belgian jazz legend “Toots” Thielemans, who died last week after a glittering career spanning seven decades.
Jean-Baptiste Frederic Isidore Thielemans, known affectionately as “Toots” and widely acknowledged as the king of jazz harmonica, died in Brussels on Monday aged 94.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was among the mourners at the church in La Hulpe, near Brussels, where Thielemans lived. A giant screen was set up to relay the service to the crowds outside.
American pianist Kenny Werner read a short message from President Barack Obama addressed to Thielemans’s widow.
Hundreds bid farewell to Belgian jazz legend
Hundreds bid farewell to Belgian jazz legend
