French alternative rock legend François Hadji-Lazaro who founded two rock groups has died at the age of 66, AFP reports .
The musician François Hadji-Lazaro, died Saturday at the age of 66. He was particularly known for his two groups, Pigalle and Les Garçons Bouchers. His death, the causes of which have not been specified, was confirmed by his record company to AFP after an announcement on Facebook by Stéphane Gotkovski, saxophonist within the two formations.
“As such a long-time friend of the gentleman who was called Gros François, I must announce with this post (it is authentic) the death a little before midnight of François Hadji-Lazaro or Attilazaro depending on the mood. “, he had written.
As the BnF website report , Stéphane Gotkovski also worked as a promotion manager at the Boucherie Productions label, founded by François Hadji-Lazaro in 1985 and closed in 2001. This house published the albums of both groups, as well as those of many other artists, including a record by Mano Negra.
omnivorous musician
François Hadji-Lazaro was born in Paris in 1956 and discovered music with Bob Dylan. He first touches the guitar before multiplying the learning of instruments, until he masters about twenty of them, explains Universal Music . After starting a career as a teacher, he gave up everything to follow his musical aspirations.
It is in the folk that he cut his teeth, within the Pénélope group. He co-founded Pigalle in the early 1980s, a group with which he would compose some of the most emblematic pieces of his career, such as Dans la salle du Bar-Tabac de la Rue des Martyrs , Patate , Si on m’had dit .. .
Pigalle continued his career over the next two decades, punctuated nonetheless by long periods of inactivity. At the same time, François Hadji-Lazaro developed his other band, Les Garçons Bouchers, which released six albums between 1986 and 1995. Fans remember their titles Carnivore or La lambada, we don’t like that! .
A career in cinema
François Hadji-Lazaro then decided to go solo with four albums in his name, before surprising his audience by turning to children’s songs in 2011.
He also multiplied supporting roles on screen, notably in The City of Lost Children by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, Le Pacte des loups or Bouboule . His last appearance was in 2015, in an episode of the hit series Capitaine Marleau .