Farewell “Splendid” to Michel Blanc, in front of a crowd of personalities and admirers

Between laughter and tears, like this “anxious clown” that was Michel Blanc, his friends from “Splendid”, cinema personalities and admirers paid tribute to him Thursday in Paris, for the actor’s funeral died suddenly at age 72.

• Also read: Funeral of Michel Blanc Thursday in Paris

“Hi Michael! », “Thank you Michel! “, chanted admirers as the hearse departed, marking the end of a funeral ceremony which lasted around an hour and a half and brought together a thousand people, noted AFP.

Inside the Saint-Eustache church, where Michel Blanc regularly went, contemplation mixed with joyfully offbeat references to the actor, even in the homily of Father Jérôme Prigent who greeted “the wit and comic force” of a “sublime antihero”.

“You’re gone, Michel… we don’t even know where we are. You’re going to piss them off up there… why are you dead Michel? », previously launched Jean-Paul Rouve (les Tuche), who played him in “Les Souvenirs” (2015). ” I miss you. We miss you,” he added.

In turn, Josiane Balasko, member of Splendid, recalled that Michel Blanc initially dreamed of becoming a pianist. “The great joy is that you became an actor,” she said.

In addition to her friends from the famous Parisian café-theater, many personalities were present including Isabelle Mergault, who directed her first film, “Je vous très beau” (2005), with Michel Blanc, but also the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and Brigitte Macron.

A rare occurrence for a personality: the church had opened its doors to the public, who rushed inside to fill the pews.

Outside, hundreds of people remained gathered in front of the gates to listen to the sound broadcast.

“When will I see you again…?” »

“He was a simple man who never got a big head,” said Monique Picard, 72, praising the “extraordinary cinematography” of the actor, including “Les Bronzés” which she watches when she “ a bout of the blues.”

“He’s a person who made us laugh, we watched all his films. We are there out of curiosity and admiration and to pay homage to him,” confides Jean, 74, who did not wish to give his name.

Winks punctuated this popular and open tribute, like the actor: the mass libretto included one of his key lines – “I feel that I am going to conclude” – and, at the back of the church, a man appeared in winter sports gear, including skis.

In the middle of the tributes and hymns, a cheeky fan also walked forward quietly, grabbed the microphone then sang the cult refrain “When will I see you again, wonderful country?” », sung by Blanc perched on a ski lift (“Les Bronzés font du ski”, 1979). The audience followed him in chorus, twice.

“It was a very beautiful ceremony. There were a lot of people, there was even a Jean-Claude Dusse behind. I think he would have liked it. There was decorum, good music, and a lot of people who loved him,” Josiane Balasko told AFP after the ceremony.

Friends of 50 years

A major actor in comedic cinema in the 1980s before moving towards dramatic roles and a career as a director, Michel Blanc suffered a heart attack and was transported to a Parisian hospital where he died.

According to his entourage, the actor was the victim of anaphylactic shock, a rare but violent allergic reaction to a food, a drug or venom, which can lead to death in a few minutes.

The Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP that it was not aware of his death.

The first of the Splendid troupe to leave, his former comrades Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte, Marie-Anne Chazel and Bruno Moynot expressed their “immense pain” upon hearing of his death.

All seven of them posed again in April for the weekly Paris Match, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the troupe which was formed at the high school.