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.