France has given a full state farewell to Charles Aznavour, the singer-songwriter hailed as one of the greatest variety performers of the 20th century, as president Emmanuel Macron lauded the son of Armenian refugees as one of the most important “faces of France”, reports The Guardian.
Aznavour, who died this week, aged 94, was a lyricist who shaped and defined French popular culture for decades and became one of the best-known French singers in the world, often using catchy melodies to explore despair and challenge taboos, from prejudice against gay people to the problems of masculinity and depression.
In a career that lasted more than 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs, sold in excess of 180m records and appeared in more than 60 films. He was still touring and performing on stage until his death and had often said he wanted to live to 100 or die on stage.
At a pomp-filled state ceremony at Les Invalides military complex in Paris, where Napoleon is buried, Macron praised Aznavour’s lyrics, which he said appealed to “our secret fragility”. He said the singer’s words were “for millions of people a balm, a remedy, a comfort ... For so many decades, he has made our life sweeter, our tears less bitter.”
Likening Aznavour’s literary genius to the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, Macron said: “In France, poets never die.”
Crucially, the French president also hailed Aznavour as an example of how much children of immigrants and refugees can give to their adopted country.