Johnny Hallyday was a huge artist, an inimitable voice. A pioneer of rock in France, the great name of French and French-speaking song, he remains as one of the most emblematic figures of French culture. But he was more than that: he was a bond, a common reference. He had a place in millions of lives. He went through decades, he gathered, he blackmailed, he danced, he marked entire generations. The emotion aroused by his disappearance, shared by our entire society, is the strongest proof of this today.
Throughout his career, which lasted nearly 60 years, he has constantly reinvented himself to remain true to himself and to be of his time. He knew how to cross eras and fashions, imposing himself very early as the «boss», the «taulier», the undisputed master of French rock. He had only one age: youth.
His first album was released in March 1960, causing a real shock of generations. Carried by Hey guysJohnny Hallyday quickly became one of the favourite singers of the French. He then knew how to constantly renew himself and surround himself, the greatest composed for him, from Michel Berger to Jean-Jacques Goldman, from Daniel Balavoine to Pascal Obispo, from Matthieu Chedid to his son David Hallyday.
Singer, composer, he was also an actor, in theatre and cinema, serving demanding authors.
A man of all records, throughout his career, Johnny Hallyday recorded more than 1,000 titles, including a hundred of his composition. Johnny Hallyday collected silver, gold and platinum records. During all these years he played the French song and gave his credentials to French rock. Timeless, it has been an icon for its contemporaries, it will remain so for generations to come.
Despite his illness, he had just performed nearly 20 performances this summer for the tour of «old scoundrels» alongside Eddy Mitchell and Jacques Dutronc, his accomplices.
Of boundless generosity, he was as faithful to his audience as the public was to him. A man of heart, he was sincere and true.
The immense artist was also a model of humanity, transcendence and self-giving.
My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.