Joachim Nielsen

Who was Joachim Nielsen?

Joachim Nielsen, better known as Jokke, was a Norwegian rock musician and poet. He was the frontman of Norwegian rock band Jokke & Valentinerne, the brother of cartoonist Christopher Nielsen, and son of the artist John David Nielsen. He is considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in Norway.

By the mid-1990s, Jokke had developed a heroin addiction, and had several stays at rehabilitation clinics. By the turn of the millennium, many of his close friends believed that he had conquered his addiction. However, he died suddenly of a drug overdose in October 2000, aged 36.

In 2005, a double tribute album entitled Det beste til meg og mine venner was released, which featured cover versions of Jokke's best known work from Norwegian artists. Later that year a single was released featuring three previously unreleased songs, called Tomgang.

In November 2005 a proposal came up in the "old town" of Oslo that Nielsen should get a street in the new part of Oslo named after him. In December this proposal was declined. The committee agreed instead that he could get a street in Grønland, Oslo. This street is now called "Joachim Nielsens gang" and the sign for it came up in September 2006. The closest neighbor is a bar and a theater. They also suggested to put up a statue of him, but his family did not approve of this.