Legendary French singer, model and actress Francoise Hardy has died aged 80 after a long battle with cancer. The iconic figure is closely associated with the Swinging Sixties, although her career spanned decades, with her last album released in 2018. Her death was announced by her son Thomas Dutronc, who posted a picture of himself as a baby with his mother and the words: “Maman est partie” (mum is gone).
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Hardy had battled lymphatic and laryngeal cancer for 20 years and had become a passionate advocate for the legalisation of assisted suicide. She rose to fame at just 18 with her first hit Tous les Garcons et les Filles (All The Boys and Girls) in 1962 and was instrumental in founding the French pop musical style known as yé-yé, derived from the English “yeah! yeah!” made popular by bands such as The Beatles. She became known for her elegance, her melancholy chanson style of singing, her effortless Parisian style and her unique take on songs by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg and Leonard Cohen.
Apart from a prolific recorded output, Hardy also appeared in a number of films, including Grand Prix (1966), directed by John Frankenheimer, and If It Had to Be Done Again (1976), directed by Claude Lelouche. However, she always preferred singing to acting, as she told The New York Times in 2018. “I couldn’t see how I could turn down offers by well-known film directors,” she said.
“However, I far preferred music to cin.