French rock star and actor Johnny Hallyday, who became the first Gallic singer to popularize rock ’n’ roll in France and sold over 110 million records during a music career spanning over half a century, has died. He was 74 and had been fighting cancer for several months.
Widely known as the “French Elvis,” Hallyday began his singing career at the end of the 1950s specializing in French-language cover versions of famous songs by artists like Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochrane and Elvis Presley — whose example inspired him to become a singer.
I’m very sad to hear the news that Johnny Hallyday passed away. He was a giant in show business…a true icon! My thoughts go out to his family, his loved ones, and to the millions of fans who adored him for many decades.He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.- Céline xx…
— Celine Dion (@celinedion) December 6, 2017
Goodbye to my friend…@JohnnySjh … we will miss you pal..Thanks for all you gave us…
— RICHIE SAMBORA (@TheRealSambora) December 6, 2017
Hallyday was married five times, with the first four marriages ending in divorce. His fifth marriage was his longest, lasting twenty-one years.
His first marriage was to French singer Sylvie Vartan, lasting fifteen years from 1965 to 1980. Their son David, was born in 1966. His second marriage to Babeth Étienne was his shortest, lasting for 65 days. Hallyday then had a four-year relationship with French actress Nathalie Baye; their daughter Laura was born in 1983. His third and fourth marriages were to the same woman, Adeline Blondieau, from 1990 to 1992, and from 1994 to 1995. His fifth and final marriage was to Læticia Boudou, from 1996 until his death. The couple adopted two girls from Vietnam: Jade Odette Désirée, born 3 August 2004 (formerly Bùi Thị Hoà), in November 2004, and Joy (Maï-Hường), born 27 July 2008, in December 2008.
On a tous en nous quelque chose de Johnny. https://t.co/1z35AuH4bJ
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 6, 2017
In July 2009, Hallyday was diagnosed with colon cancer, and underwent surgery. On 26 November 2009, Hallyday underwent surgery in Paris to repair a herniated disc. He suffered complications and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Doctors announced that they had put Hallyday into a medically-induced coma so they could repair lesions that had formed as a result of the surgery, and to relieve his pain. On 17 December 2009, Hallyday and his wife started legal proceedings against Dr. Stephane Delajoux, who had performed the original surgery. The conflict was resolved in February 2012 following Delajoux’s vindication by medical investigators.
Hallyday died of lung cancer shortly before 3 am on 6 December 2017 in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, at the age of 74. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, saying he “transcended generations and is etched in the memory of the French people”. On 9 December, his funeral was held in Paris; 800 000 lined the Champs-Élysées as his body was taken to the Madeleine Church and the service was attended by Macron and two of his predecessors. He was buried on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy on 11 December 2017.
