French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday. Photo: YURI KADOBNOV / AFPFrench music icon Johnny Hallyday died Wednesday aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer, plunging the country into mourning for a national treasure whose rock ‘n’ roll entertained three generations.
The leather-clad star broke from France’s classic “chanson” tradition in the late 1950s, emerging as a figure who embodied the rebellious spirit of the gloomy post-war era.
While Americans were going wild for Elvis or Jimi Hendrix and Britain was gripped by Beatle-mania, France turned to the Paris-born crooner who borrowed liberally from his English-speaking peers and never won international acclaim.
But he was adored at home, selling 110 million albums, and his death on Wednesday devastated his fans and sparked an outpouring of grief from fellow artists and politicians.
“Johnny Hallyday has left us. I write these words without believing them. But yet, it’s true.
France Grieves ‘King Of Rock’ Johnny Hallyday Dies At 74
