Walter De Buck

Walter De Buck (13 July 1934 – 21 December 2014) was a Belgian singer, sculptor and the founder of the modern Gentse Feesten (Ghent Festival).[1]

Walter De Buck
Background information
Birth name	Walter De Buck
Born	(1934-07-13)13 July 1934 Ghent, Belgium
Died	21 December 2014(2014-12-21) (aged 80) Ghent, Belgium
Genres	Folk music
Occupation(s)	Singer, sculptor
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1958–2014

De Buck was born in Ghent in 1934.[1] He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where he graduated in 1954 magna cum laude.[1] De Buck made his debut as a sculptor at the 1958 World’s Fair and was awarded several prizes for his sculptures.[1] In 1962 he founded the non-profit organisation Trefpunt, with which he restarted the Gentse Feesten in 1969.[2]

As a musician, De Buck made a name as a singer and writer of folk music with the song 't Vliegerke, released in 1971.[3] In 1986 De Buck retired from Trefpunt to focus on his sculpture work.[1] De Buck felt he would only stop being creative when he died.[4]

De Buck died on 21 December 2014 in Ghent from the effects of esophageal cancer, having previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[4]

De Buck was posthumously honored in 2017 by the city of Ghent, which renamed part of Bij Sint-Jacobs square as Walter De Buckplein in his honor.[5] This was the location where the Gentse Feesten had been restarted in 1969.[5]