A rose in hand, a man sobs while looking at his old Françoise Hardy LP at the entrance to Père Lachaise in Paris. Like several hundred anonymous people, he comes to pay a final tribute to the singer who made him dream, cry, who impressed him for six decades, until her death on June 11 at the age of 80. years. An hour before the ceremony, we have rarely seen so many people in front of the dome of the crematorium of the Parisian cemetery. Nearly 2,000 people. All ages and all social backgrounds seem represented. “It’s important to be there,” confides Jean-Pierre, a 74-year-old Picard sitting in the front row. It’s a part of my youth, of my life, which is going with her. I deplore the Cannes Festival side a little, but that’s normal. »
The trickle arrival of personalities is indeed greeted by comments and cheers that are sometimes a little inappropriate. But they testify to the popularity of the artists who pass through. And in the applause meter, it is certainly Sheila and Salvatore Adamo who win, ahead of Julien Clerc and his wife, the writer Hélène Gremillon, Louis and Matthieu Chedid, Étienne Daho, in black glasses and hat. “Stephen! » say some fans. He blows them a kiss before entering the dome.
Carla Bruni, accompanied by Nicolas Sarkozy, Laurent Voulzy, Calogero, Marc Lavoine and Dave are also warmly greeted. The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, is better received than Brigitte Macron, who is as much booed as applauded…
“It’s distressing,” comments Driss, 27 years old. We are here to pay tribute to Françoise Hardy, we are not at the show, at the zoo. I am both sad and distraught. » This young Parisian fan, in a black coat and cap, has been listening to it since he was a teenager. “I loved his writing, his frankness, his humility. I knew her through my mother and I had the chance to meet her on Europe 1 in 2018. I couldn’t put three words together. » Valérie, 56, loved “her voice, her gentleness and her lucidity about her and her abilities”. For this fifty-something Levallois, “it was fire under the ice. She was beautiful physically and internally. »
A farewell in song
The hearse arrives at 2:50 p.m. to thunderous applause. He stops at the foot of the dome. Out comes Thomas Dutronc and his father Jacques. They in turn are warmly greeted by the public. They join Patrick Modiano, Nolwenn Leroy, Armande Altaï, Hubert Védrine, La Grande Sophie… Les Souchon and Véronique Sanson, on tour, are absent.
Four large photos are installed inside, three of which are signed Jean-Marie Périer, who was his companion: one with Jacques, one with Thomas and a red one which has become famous. At 3:30 p.m. the ceremony begins with the voice of Françoise Hardy, singing “Et si je m’en vavant avant toi” and “le Temps de l’amour”, her first success.
We hear excerpts from interviews. “I love cheese, red wine, I hate the cold, I like the night because you can’t see things less. » “I was hesitating between a guitar and a transistor, I don’t know why I opted for a guitar. We hear her laugh when she recounts the creation of “All the Boys and Girls” and her obsession with the three chords that made it possible to make melodies. We hear a few songs, including “Tant de belles choses”, which are broadcast from speakers outside the dome, but there are technical bugs, which speed up or stop the titles.
The funeral only lasts half an hour, there are no speeches, no testimonies. “Personal Message” is played as the coffin disappears for cremation. Many sing with her, cry in silence. Thomas Dutronc only speaks at the very end: “Mom didn’t want a religious ceremony, so we played a few songs,” he says in substance, before he too is cut off.
At the exit, only the photographer Jean-Marie Périer, who was one of her first loves, spoke: “I am very sad for Thomas and Jacques, but I am happy for her. For ten years, she experienced an ordeal. »
Jacques Dutronc leaves among the last, accompanied by his partner, Sylvie, with whom he lives in Corsica. A lady shouts to him: “We love you. » Thomas leaves in turn. He is very applauded. He looks at people and touches their heart. He lets them listen to his mother sing to them “And if I go before you”, “So many beautiful things”, “If it’s really really true”, “That you bury me”… In one of her most beautiful songs, she says: “It’s not love that goes out. It’s what ? It’s nothing. »