Sad to know. I just discovered an amazing album where he plays Bach at the 17th-18th century organ from Groningen, where he has played since 1956. Really nice sounding instrument and an organist with a lifelong experience of it.

 

Wim van Beek was the most able (in the sense of technically and with regard to the breadth of his repertoire) organist of his generation, and his intuitive musicality makes his style and interpretation timeless, unlike many of his peers'. His long association with the Martinikerk Schnitger organ is amazing: when he was appointed there as organist in 1956 the organ (with an electro-pneumatic console on a gallery) was almost unrecognisable from its current, reconstructed glory. Thankfully towards the end of his life his art was recorded on many cds (by Helior and also marketed by Fugue State Records, although they seemed to have disappeared from their webshop) and these are some of my most treasured recordings, in particular a JS Bach programme recorded at Domkirk Roskilde.