The Madeleine church was filled this Friday with fans of Johnny Hallyday to pay tribute to the rocker. Five years after his popular homage and his funeral at the same monument in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, admirers of the “Taulier” gathered to celebrate this sad anniversary.
“(We are here) to come to celebrate Johnny, to say that we do not forget him, because we will never forget him,” confided one of them, his face protected by a surgical mask with the effigy of the rocker, on BFMTV.
“It’s life or death with him,” he continued. “I miss him so much. Every day I cry and think of him.”
Johnny Hallyday died of cancer on December 5, 2017, at the age of 74. His death sparked a strong national uproar, so much so that thousands of people gathered on the Champs-Élysées four days later to watch his hearse pass by before La Madeleine’s funeral.
Jean-Claude Camus present
Since then, the emotion is intact. This Friday, the fans gathered in front of a large painting of Johnny Hallyday’s face, while an impersonator took the stage to resume the hymn to love, a classic by Edith Piaf, which the singer had taken up again during a concert in Bercy in 1995. Her historic producer Jean-Claude Camus participated in the celebration. After addressing a few words to the audience, he confided to BFMTV:
“Five years later, it’s absolutely wonderful to find this crowd of fans who loved Johnny so much and who Johnny loved as well. This fervor that lasts five years later, I’m sure will last forever. It fills hearts with emotion, I am very happy. to be here.”
The testimonials of his fans also reflect an emotion that is still palpable: “It’s the only thing left for us, to find ourselves all together, like at the beginning,” one of them confided to BFMTV. “The memories are so ingrained,” said another. “Johnny always said, ‘I wouldn’t be here without you.’ Well, we wouldn’t be here without him.”
Johnny Hallyday rests in Saint-Barthélémy. On Monday, the anniversary of his death, many fans gathered around his grave with his widow Laeticia to meditate there to the sound of his hits.
Source: BFM TV
