Johnny Hallyday is an actor, singer, composer. Even during his lifetime, he was given the title of rock star of France. To appreciate the scale of the celebrity, it is enough to know that more than 15 Johnny's LPs have reached platinum status. He has done over 400 tours and sold 80 million solo albums.
His work was adored by the French. He gave the stage a little less than 60 years, but was never able to win the favor of the English-speaking public. The Americans treated Holliday's work rather coolly.
Childhood and youth
Jean-Philippe Leo Smet (real name of the artist) was born on June 15, 1943 in the heart of France - Paris. The parents of the future star had nothing to do with creativity. Moreover, he was not brought up in an intelligent family.
The father left the family when the newborn was only 8 months old. The mother was responsible for the maintenance of the child. She was forced to get a job as a model. The boy was looked after by his aunt.
The creative path of Johnny Hallyday
Acquaintance with music happened at the time of learning to play the violin. Soon he had a burning desire to learn how to play the guitar. On the professional stage, Johnny appeared in the mid-50s of the last century. In the costume of a cheeky cowboy, he spoke to visitors to the bar The Ballad of Davy Crockett. Holliday performed a popular song in the musical genre "chanson".
Two years earlier, he also made his film debut. Charming Johnny took part in the filming of the tape "Devil". He looked great in the frame. Over a long creative career, Holliday starred in more than 40 films.
Johnny Hallyday's introduction to rock and roll
At the end of the 50s, he was lucky enough to get acquainted with Elvis Presley and rock and roll in general. This pivotal event will change Holliday's interests and life forever.
In the 50s, the French were not yet fully familiar with rock and roll. Johnny did not even have the opportunity to buy records of his favorite artists. Relatives from America sent collections by mail, and Holiday wiped the records to holes.
He not only adored listening to rock and roll, but also altered compositions into French. He performs in local cabarets and bars, and introduces the public to a little-known musical direction.
In the early 60s, the singer's discography was replenished with a debut LP. We are talking about the Hello Johnny compilation. The album was warmly received by the French public, which allowed Holliday to continue developing in the chosen direction. Since that time, the French have associated rock and roll with only one name.
Over a long creative career, he recorded more than 50 LPs and 29 "live" records. They recorded more than one thousand musical compositions, the author and composer of 105 of them was Johnny. An unrealistic number of books are dedicated to him. He starred for glossy magazines and advertisements for famous brands.
Details of the artist's personal life
Johnny's personal life was no less eventful than creative. He married five times and married the same girl twice. Actress Selvi Vartan is the first who managed to win the heart of the singer. They got married in the mid-60s of the last century, and a year later they had a child. After 15 years of family idyll, it became known about the divorce of an enviable couple.
In the early 80s, he legalized relations with the beautiful Elizabeth Etienne. Family life was not "smooth". Young people spent only a year under the same roof, and after that they divorced.
Soon he became interested in Natalie Bai. She hoped that the man would call her down the aisle, but the miracle did not happen. The woman gave birth to a child from Johnny, but in the 86th year they broke up.
After 4 years, he legalized relations with Adeline Blondieu. A year later they divorced, but three years later they again decided to get married. Attempts to seal the union were not successful. In 1995, young people decided to finally leave. Adeline had a lot of complaints about Holliday. Rumor has it that he repeatedly raised his hand to the woman.
Letitia Budu is Johnny's last chosen one. The girl was pretty. She worked as a model. At the time of the meeting, she was a little over 20 years old. They got married in 1996. For health reasons, the girl could not have children, so the couple adopted the kids.
Death of Johnny Hallyday
In July 2009, the artist shared the sad news with fans of his work. The fact is that he was diagnosed with colon cancer. The tumor quickly spread throughout the body.
On December 6, 2017, he passed away. The farewell ceremony took place on December 9th. A little less than a million people came to the cemetery to say goodbye to the legend.
