Françoise Hardy, French pop icon, dies at the age of 80

Hardy has been battling cancer for over a decade

June 11, 2024 | 9:41 p.m. ET

Françoise Hardy, the French singer-songwriter who was known for her melancholic ballads and her inimitable charisma, has died of throat cancer in Paris. She was 80 years old.

Hardy’s death was confirmed on Tuesday by her son Thomas Dutronc, who posted an old photo of the two along with the caption, “Maman est partie.” Hardy had been battling cancer for over a decade and even stopped singing in 2021 due to the treatments.

Hardy was born Françoise Madeleine Hardy on January 17, 1944 in Nazi-occupied France and was influenced by the post-war culture in which she grew up. As a child, she took piano lessons, but it was not until she was 16 that she discovered her passion for music and was given a guitar. Soon after, she began writing her own compositions.

Hardy began recording in the early 1960s and quickly became a sensation in France thanks to the emergence of the youth-driven Yé-Yé movement. Her debut album was released in 1962 All boys and girlswas released together with the chart hit “Le temps de l’amour” and the title song.

From then on, Hardy continued to record and enjoyed her status as an influential figure on the global pop scene, spending time with the likes of Mick Jagger, the Beatles and other influential contemporaries. Bob Dylan was particularly fond of her and even included a poem “for Françoise Hardy” in the liner notes of his 1964 album. Another side of Bob Dylan.

In the late 1960s, Hardy continued to release acclaimed recordings and in 1966 turned to Françoise Hardy sings in EnglishIn 1971 she teamed up with Brazilian musician Tuca and released the Bossa Nova-influenced album The questionin which she moved away from the pop appeal of her earlier work to explore deeper, more mature themes.

As her career progressed, Hardy gained cult status with fans around the world and continued to develop her unique sense of artistry. She released new albums fairly regularly until her final years. Her last album, Other peoplearrived in 2018.

In addition to her music career, Hardy also pursued a dazzling career as an astrologer and author and appeared in numerous films. She was also highly influential in the French fashion world and was considered by many to be a zeitgeist-defining pop icon.

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