Fame does not protect against loneliness in old age. Opera singer and television presenter Caroline Kaart was very open about this.
She had no family in the Netherlands and hardly anyone visited her in the Rosa Spier House in Laren. One of the most familiar faces was that of Truus Köster from MAX Maakt Possible. She came by weekly, sometimes together with Jan Slagter. But there were many hours of being alone. Television and in particular the BBC was her great friend, from early in the morning until late at night, ‘says Köster. Two years ago she said in a documentary: “I am an old and lonely person, with a small dog and that’s all.” On The Telegraph she said, “When I’m dead, I’ll have peace. Nobody has to grieve for me when the time comes. Death will be a liberation for me. ‘
Caroline Kaart was a celebrity avant la lettre. She was a star and married to the actor Hans Kaart and the director and song maker Willy van Hemert. But in the last few years none of that benefited them. After a severe cerebral infarction she was admitted to the Tergooi hospital on September 7 and died on September 15 in the Rosa Spier Huis.
Tumultuous relationship
She was born Caroline Raitt in Blackness, Scotland. She had the opportunity to study singing in Munich. In 1953 she met the singer / actor Hans Kaart here, known for the films Fanfare in Village on the River. They married in 1957 and went to live in Switzerland. It turned into a tumultuous relationship with a serious traffic accident and bankruptcy. In 1963, Kaart died as a result of an unsuccessful ear operation.
Caroline decided to live in the Netherlands, where she was allowed to make a television program entitled Een liedje met Caroline, directed by Willy van Hemert. With her funny Scottish accent and cheerful look, she soon became loved by viewers.
In 1969 she married Van Hemert. The marriage lasted eight years. ‘I have been very happy with Wil. For him, love has eventually become less and less. He hated growing older. Actually, Willy was super selfish. He needed a different body. I find that typical for a man now, he wants to renew himself and does this by putting his old wife aside and switching to a younger body. My men thought they were better than me, with everything, but I now notice that I manage my own affairs very well. ‘
Versatile
She was very versatile. As a mezzo-soprano she has performed in numerous opera productions. She sang in the Royal Albert Hall for Queen Elizabeth. But she also sang folk songs and participated in the musicals Vadertje Langbeen, Lasting Applause in America America. This was sometimes looked down upon in the opera world.
She was also a well-known television face. She was part of the panels of Who of the Three, Like father Like Son in Babbelonia. On Radio 4 she had her own program together with Joop Stokkermans Classic with Caroline, which always ended with the comment: “See you next week, same time, same place.”
In 2002, the Avro put an end to it after 23 years to her dismay. She gave singing lessons for a while. Shortness of breath and pain in her back hindered her daily activities in recent years. Köster: ‘She did enjoy taking part in the project The Art of Life; a collaboration between the Rosa Spier Huis and the Utrecht School of the Arts. ‘ The final applause sounded for her on 22 September, after the commemoration in the theater of the Rosa Spier House.
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