EU lauds Hallyday as cultural bridge builder

AA senior European Union official has lauded Johnny Hallyday as a cultural bridge between European and American culture, and says the French rocker beguiled young and old alike, reports the Houston Chronicle.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said upon hearing about Hallyday's death that "he was not only an idol of the young."

Putting a Gallic twist on raw U.S. rock 'n' roll, Juncker said that Hallyday "reconciled French chanson with American music."

And he said that by continuing to perform as disease was weakening him, "he taught us a beautiful lesson in courage."

Read more of this report from the Houston Chronicle.