Luc Van der Kelen, a former political editor at Het Laatste Nieuws, passed away on Monday night at the age of 77, the newspaper reported on Saturday.
Van der Kelen died in hospital due to complications following a hip operation. He had broken his hip in January after falling at his home in Schoten.
The day before his death, he was still making plans to return home, according to one of his sons in a tribute. Colleagues described him as both dignified and warm-hearted. “He was the kindest person in the editorial office,” Het Laatste Nieuws wrote.
His journalism career began in 1972 at De Nieuwe Gazet, the former sister newspaper of Het Laatste Nieuws in Antwerp. He became editor-in-chief there in 1991 before moving on to become political editor at Het Laatste Nieuws.
He was widely regarded as the face of the newspaper’s political coverage, writing daily opinion pieces. “He was the voice and the face of Het Laatste Nieuws, period. He radiated natural authority. Everyone mistakenly thought he was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper,” said his successor, Jan Segers.
