French Elvis : Johnny Hallyday has died.

Greetings folks.

Although in the 30 years I have been living in France I have never been a fan of Johnny Hallyday (Born Jean-Philippe Smet) which is a little less sexier when it comes to names... I thought I would share this news with you all as there are some French and Belgium members here (He is/was of Belgium origin.)

Johnnny Hallyday passed away peacfully from complications due to lung cancer at 02:34 this morning at the age of 74.

He came out of hospital last week after breathing difficulties and apparently passed away with dignity during the night according to his wife Laetitia.

He will be remembered over here in France for his massive concerts and being a "peoples" artist. (Especially in the poorer regions such as the North of France.)

Most of his fans can be easlily recognised as they wear Harley Davidson T-Shirts or Black T-shirts with wolves or eagles on them and the buckles and stuff...(all that Johnny fans have been lead to believe and represents the American dream as per his music...) Alot of the fans that I have personally met also have crude homemade tats too...

Just check this out : www.google.fr... ih=611

As I said earlier on, I am not a fan of his lifestyle or his music but he deserves to have been heard about.

A snippet from ew.com...

Johnny Hallyday, the rock star and actor known as the “French Elvis,” has died at age 74 after a battle with lung cancer.

“Johnny Hallyday has left us,” his wife, Laeticia, said in a statement translated by Agence France Presse. “I write these words without believing them. But yet, it’s true. My man is no longer with us. He left us tonight as he lived his whole life, with courage and dignity.”

The singer, born Jean-Philippe Smet, helped usher in a new era of French music and is often credited for popularizing rock ’n’ roll in the country. During his 50-plus-year career, Hallyday sold more than 110 million records and topped the French charts over 30 times.

Like Elvis Presley, he would eventually transition into acting, appearing in Détective, The Man on the Train, and Pink Panther 2.

Music legends such as Celine Dion, Lenny Kravitz, and Richie Sambora paid tribute to Hallyday on social media. In a statement, French President Emmanuel Macron said that “there is a little bit of Johnny in all of us”.

“Across generations, he carved himself into the lives of French people,” Macron added. “He charmed them through the generosity you saw in his concerts: so epic, so intimate, in huge venues, in small spots.”

Some of his works :











Rest in peace French Rocker who helped certain French people (especially your fans) vibrate in a positive manner through the hard and good times...

All I can suggest is just to LISTEN to that blokes voice and imagine he is is singing in English...

Warmest regards

Lags

As a teen i found him kinda ridiculous, but some of his output from the 60's is actually seriously cool. He swam againat a prevailing current too. Hats off to you Johnny!

originally posted by: skalla
As a teen i found him kinda ridiculous, but some of his output from the 60's is actually seriously cool. He swam againat a prevailing current too. Hats off to you Johnny!

Ey up Skalla, long time no hear...glad to see you back.

He wasn't that bad mate!

Just banging across a couple of his songs again and they get quite listenable actually!

Warmest

Lags

a reply to: Lagomorphe

Fantastic voice on that guy. Sad to see him go. He was still quite productive in the 1990's. He definitely had a wide following although he didn't have quite the musical range of Serge Gainsbourg.

a reply to: Lagomorphe

Thats what i'm saying i was checking out some swinging 60s stuff of his a while back and not only was some of it genuinely good but he had a proper voice on him too. I totes saw him as a french Cliff Richard when i was younger. Bit harsh.

I shudder to think how many gorgeous french women he had his wicked way with.