Summer of 1980: Patty leaves Luv'.....

35 years ago, in the summer of 1980, Patty Brard's departure from Luv' caused a sensation in the Netherlands. Every tabloid covered this sad news which affected the existence of Holland's greatest girl group. Such an event took everybody by surprise as the public image of the trio was excellent. Since 1978, the ladies had scored hit after hit (not only in their homeland but also abroad), collected awards and platinum records, travelled Europe with their jet, performed on TV, toured the club circuit and graced the covers of magazines.

In May 1980, they went on a memorable promo tour in Mexico (see article posted on May 10th, 2015). The highlights of this special trip were: the presentation of gold records (including one for "Si, Que Si" (the Spanish version of "Ooh, Yes I Do"), a press conference, photo shoots and the taping of TV shows. On this occasion, Patty met Italian record producer and music publisher Carlo Nasi (heir to the FIAT empire). It was love at first sight. At the time, Patty was divorcing Dutch TV star Ron Brandsteder. Rapidly, the enfant terrible of Luv' was not motivated to fullfil her commitments. She was fed up with the hectic schedule of the group. Tensions within the members of the pop trio appeared. In an interview published in Hitkrant magazine in early June 1980, Patty told: "It's too much. I'm in love with a man who lives far away from me. It's hard to combine with Luv'. Someday I'll have to make a choice".

Meanwhile, Luv' had big plans for the future. They were supposed to perform in the USSR and to take part in the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan (see article posted on June 7th, 2015). These projects could mean their breakthough in new territories.

Patty wanted to buy a house to live with her new lover and thus needed money. On July 7th, she asked her lawyer to arrange a loan with InterLUV' BV (the group's limited company). Manager Pim ter Linde was surprised when he received a call from this lawyer who had an unsual request from her client. It led to arguments and irritations. On July 9th, Patty saw a doctor: she suffered from stress and was obliged to be on sick-leave for a month. Unexpectedly, she escaped from Holland to go to Los Angeles where Carlo lived.

This unfortunate news and media circus brought Luv' to a standstill. The ladies were obliged to cancel all their performances. But Pim ter Linde was trying to find a solution behind the scenes. A replacement had to be found very quickly as many legal obligations were scheduled. But that's another story......

Press clippings:

Source: Krant van Toen, The Story of Luv' (written by Peter Boonstra)