Jeanine Deckers was a Belgian Nun with the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Waterloo, Belgium. While there she wrote and sang her own songs delighting the convent. The convent decided to let her record and album under the name Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile) and the single “Dominique” became an international sensation. The second album was not a success and any monies from her album sales went to the producer or the convent. Jeanine eventually left the convent to pursue her singing career but never received the same success as her first single. Jeanine opened a school for autistic children in Belgium but was faced with a large tax bill from the Belgian Government. On March 19th 1985 Jeanine Decker and her partner Annie Pecher committed suicide by consuming barbiturates and alcohol, she was 51. In 1966 the film “The Singing Nun” was released starring Debbie Reynolds, Jeanine dismissed it as a work of fiction.
2020-12-09