For years they watched their mother Isolde Vol-Malee battle a rare form of bone cancer that left her weak and bed-ridden.
And on Wednesday Lisa, Amy and Shelley — the sisters of OG3NE — were with their mother when she passed away, aged 47.
“We are confident that her energy, positivity, determination and eternal smile will give us the strength to continue,” they said in a statement. “Now there is great sorrow.”
“We hope that everyone respects our privacy and gives us the peace and space to give this great grief a place.”
According to their team they “will stop all her work until further notice in order to cope with this great loss.”
The Netherlands’ Eurovision 2017 act recently extended their wildly popular theatre tour Three Times A Lady by 56 shows, adding the new dates to the end of 2017 and into 2018.
Isolde, who surprised the girls with a visit to Kyiv during Eurovision, underwent intense radiation treatment following the contest because of the rapid growth of existing tumours and the emergence of new ones.
Shortly afterwards the family made it known that Isolde had taken the decision to stop all treatment — which is extremely taxing on the mind, body and spirit — so that she could enjoy what time she had left with her loved ones.
At the time the group’s management said: “The complications and quality of life has led Isolde to decide to discontinue the necessary treatment. She wants to spend the remaining time with her loved ones without the risk of further complications.”
OG3NE at Eurovision 2017
Throughout her brave fight Isolde was a source of inspiration for her girls — and her daughters were no doubt a source of strength for her.
They dedicated their Eurovision 2017 performance to their mother and all of those fighting for their lives owing to cancer and other disease.
Writing on Instagram ahead of the grand final, Amy said: “Tonight we’ll sing for you, mom, and for many others.”
Their song “Lights and Shadows” was inspired by their mother’s medical situation and expressed their wish that she find peace amid the turmoil.
In early April, six weeks ahead of the Eurovision final, the sisters sat down with wiwibloggs to discuss the message of their song and why they wanted to tackle the difficult issue of loss.
“We know what it’s like when a family has to deal with all that,” Lisa said. “When one person is sick everyone nearby is sick. We wanted to give a positive vibe to everyone who is in that situation right now.”
They also told us about the first time they sang the song to their mother.
“It was a magical moment,” Amy said. “We didn’t have the whole song. We sat on her bed and it was magical.”
Our thoughts are with the entire Vol family during this difficult time. There is little solace to be had for those who knew and loved Isolde. But we hope the sisters know that they honour their mother every day with their talent and kindness.
What a sadness my condolences to Lisa Amy and shelley and to Rick who lost his loving wife. Your song is beautiful and shall be always remember to your loving mother.
I lost my sister in may and your song was playing on her funeral whit my thougts a am whit you
her mum have my age.
SIC
Usually I Wouldn’ t comment this kind of issue. But I lost my father recenttly in a unffair battle against câncer in 3 weeks. So if they read this I know that a part of you is dead also. And it will remain a Felling that isso only written in portuguese. SAUDADE
Condolences.
So saddened by the news; their song was a wonderful tribute to her and I hope the entire family is getting lots of love and support right now.
So sad. RIP Isolde and my condolences to the Vol family for your loss
I Love their song this year. In old voting system Og3ae and Alma placed in the Esc2017 top 10.
R.I.P their beautiful Mom .wish them all the best.
I feel so sorry for them! 🙁
I just hope that they could find peace and the will to move on now that the most important person in their life is gone. Condolences
Condolences to those left behind. May Isolde rest in peace and abide in love, in every world to come.
Condolences…the strong strikes home so hard with this sad reality…RIP mom Isolde and wishing the girls and father lots of strength…and hope one day they perform again on behalf of the Netherlands…
My condolences to them.
RIP beautiful Isolde. Sending love and prayers to Lisa, Amy, Shelley and family!
Zo verdrietig nieuws, had het al op verschillende Nederlandse websites gelezen!! Wat ben ik toch blij dat we O’G3NE dit jaar hebben gestuurd, dit heeft Isolde gelukkig nog mee mogen maken, maar ze had veel meer mooie dingen moeten mee maken. Ze is veel te vroeg gegaan. Ik hoop dat Isolde nu op een goede plek is terechtgekomen! Ik wens familie en vrienden heel veel sterkte! Gecondoleerd.? So sad news, it had already read on different Dutch websites. What am I glad we sent O’G3NE this year, because Isolde was now able to watch it / make it happen, but… Read more »
Beautifully written by William… This is such sad news… Wishing them all the strength needed. When reading this I remember Wiwi Chris getting very emotional in a video about Og3ne… It was very brave of him to show this to all of us.
;(
I hope they will find strength inside and sisterhood love to overcome the pain. Unfortunately life is often very cruel, that is why we need to enjoy it at the fullest while we still can. I’m sending them a bit of love.
This is a very sad day for the Vol family. Rest in peace, Isolde! 🙁
But good thing O’G3NE isn’t splitting permanently. They’re putting their career on hold temporarily!
Heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts are with the Vol family and their friends. The girls should know however that they did their mum proud.
My condolences to her daughters and husband in this hard moment. R. I. P.
To their beautiful and lovely mom Isolde Vol: Rest In Peace. You were the inspiration of this beautiful song and through this song, you will never be forgotten. I can only hope: once you fly, you’ll be free…
To their beautiful and lovely mom Isolde: *Rest In Peace* ??? You were the inspiration of this beautiful song and through this song, you will never be forgotten. ?? I can only hope: once you fly, you’ll be free…
The girls did a great tribute to their mother. Am sure she was incredibly proud before she passed. Condolences.
So sad 🙁 , R.I.P
Such sad news. Hopefully OG3NE will take all the time they need to cope with such a great loss.
Sad news 🙁
R.I.P.
“When one person is sick everyone nearby is sick”
This is so accurate. That is exactly what happens when a loved one has an illness. R.I.P. Isolde.
Oh no, this is so sad 🙁 RIP beautiful Isolde. Sending my condolences to not only Lisa, Amy and Shelley, but also the love of her life, Rick. These people are so strong.
This is a beautiful artical William , Well done