France’s Elvis, Johnny Hallyday, dies at 74
Paris: French music icon Johnny Hallyday died Wednesday aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer, plunging the country into mourning for a national treasure whose soft rock lit up the lives of three generations.
The leather- clad star broke from France’s classic “chanson” tradition in the late 1950s, emerging as a figure who embodied the rebellious spirit of the post- war era.
While Americans were going wild for Elvis or Jimi Hendrix and Britain was gripped by Beatlemania, France turned to the Paris- born crooner who borrowed liberally from his English- speaking peers.
While his power ballads never won acclaim outside the French- speaking world, he was adored at home and his death on Wednesday devastated fans and sparked an outpouring of grief from fellow artists and politicians.
“There is something of Johnny in all of us,” said French President Emmanuel Macron in a pre- prepared statement issued half an hour after the announcement of his death.
Mr Macron, a fan seen at his concerts like numerous former French leaders, was among the first to react to the death which had been feared since he announced he was undergoing treatment for cancer in March.
Fans began gathering in the cold before dawn outside Hallyday’s home in the small town of MarneslaCoquette west of Paris, as television channels cleared their regular programming for tribute shows and discussions about his influence.
“I rate him on the level of the Eiffel Tower,” said Jose Albine, who was among the crowd and claimed to have been to “hundreds” of Johnny concerts.