THE HAGUE, Dec. 7 (Agence France-Presse) — Mariska Veres, a lead
singer for the Dutch group Shocking Blue, which had a worldwide hit
in 1970 with its song “Venus,” died here on Saturday. She was 59.
The cause was cancer, Dutch news organizations reported.
“Venus,” the group’s biggest hit, reached the top of the American
music charts in 1970. The group split up in 1974, but “Venus” would go
on to reach No. 1 in the American Billboard chart two more times: in
1981, by the cover band Stars on 45, and in 1986, in a version by Bananarama.
Ms. Veres pursued a solo career after Shocking Blue broke up,
recording several albums.
