Françoise Hardy, the French singer, songwriter, actress and one of the icons of the ’60s yé-yé scene, has died at age 80 after living with lymphatic cancer since 2004. The news came via her son, Thomas Dutronc, who wrote on Instagram “Maman est partie” (“Mom is gone”).
Born in Paris in 1944, Hardy began writing songs and singing as a teenager and was inspired both by classic chanson and the emergence of rock n’ roll, the two styles that would become known as it’s own pop genre, yé-yé. She would be responsible for some of the era’s biggest hits, which included both chanson and yé-yé, including her 1962 debut single, “Tous les garçons et les filles.” Other classics include “C’est à l’amour auquel je pense,” “Le premier bonheur du jour,” “Pourtant tu m’aimes,” “Je veux qu’il revienne,” and “Comment te dire adieu.” Though her singles less frequently hit the charts beginning in the ’70s, Hardy continued to make music and had many successful album through the 2010s.
Hardy was, of course, a style icon as well and also an actress, appearing in such films as Grand Prix, What’s New, Pussycat?, Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin féminin, and more. For much of her career, Hardy was romantically linked to fellow yé-yé star Jacques Dutronc who she began dating in 1967. They had son Thomas in 1973 (he also became a successful singer) but the didn’t marry in 1980; the would separate for good in 1988.
Rest in peace, Françoise.