culture
France says Au revoir to Johnny Hallyday
French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday, recognised by many as the “French Elvis” died on Tuesday at the age of 74 at his home in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris. Leon Jean-Philippe Smet, Hallyday’s real name, the most popular figure in the French rock scene, announced in March that he was being treated for lung cancer. Johnny Hallyday was born on June 15, 1943 in Paris, son of a French mother and Belgian father, in 1960 he released his first album, Hello Johnny, quickly becoming a benchmark figure of rock’n’roll and creating his very own French twist. Compared with Elvis Presley regularly throughout his 57 year career, he released hundreds of albums, 18 of which made it to platinum. During his long career he also participated in films like Les diabòliques (1955), by Henri-Georges Clouzot; Jean-Luc Godard’s Détective (1985) and Consell de família (1986), by Costa-Gavras.