PARIS: The legendary French pop singer and fashion muse Francoise Hardy has died at the age of 80 after a long battle with cancer.
Her son announced her death and commemorations poured in from across France on Wednesday. “Mum is gone,” her son, Thomas Dutronc, who is also a musician, posted on social media.
Hardy was known for giving a hit, Comment te dire adieu” (“How to Say Goodbye”) in 1968.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in a statement said Francoise Hardy rocked generations of French people. He said she will always remain in the memories of the French people.
Hardy was born in 1944 in Paris and raised by her mother. Like many girls at the time, she grew up listening to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and other American and British pop stars on Radio Luxembourg. She signed her first record agreement at the age of 17.
Her style drew the attention of fashion designers, becoming a model for Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, who designed gold plates for her.
Mick Jagger, lead vocalist of iconic English Rock band, Rolling Stones, once called her the “ideal woman”, while her fellow singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wrote many love letters to her.
French performer, composer and record producer Jean-Michel Jarre said the elegance of her harmonious whispers will remain in the hearts of young boys and girls forever.
Despite battling with throat cancer, she kept on releasing albums in her 70s, her final being “Personne d’autre” in 2018.
