The singer of the song “Rockcollection” is 76 years old this Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Laurent Voulzy has four sons from his two marriages: Julien, Nicolas, Cliff and Quentin. The first suffered, in 2015, the pain of losing his mother, Betty Voulzy, while he was living with her.
Laurent Voulzy: His son Julien continued to live in the house of his mother Betty, who ended her life in his arms
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He has not released an album since the compilation Anthology published in 2020 by Columbia. At 76 years old, which he celebrates this Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Laurent Voulzy still has projects but he has also reached the age where we look back on his existence and we say goodbye to those who counted during it. Last July, the native of Paris was seen at the funeral of singer Pascal Danel, in the cemetery of Bazoches-sur-le-Betz (Loiret). In the columns of Nice-Morninga few days later, he spoke about the death of his friend: “Pascal Danel has meant a lot in my life. He was my friend. He was best man at my first wedding.”
This first marriage was the one contracted with Betty in the early 1970s. At the time, the young woman was employed at the town hall of Nogent-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne), a town in the Paris suburbs where the singer grew up with his mother, Marie-Louise, and his stepfather. Quickly, Laurent and his wife had the joy of having a little boy, Julien (born in 1973). Then a second, Nicolas, born in 1979. The beginning of seventies, it’s the time of dreams of glory and evenings of celebration in Nogent’s apartment listening to the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. In 1977, their dad’s career really took off thanks to singing. Rockcollection which will sell more than 4.5 million copies worldwide. Betty is fully associated with this triumph because her first name appears in her third verse: “What good will it do for me to go and cut the tiffs? Will my life be better once I get my certificate? Betty laughed at my zero ball. I told him if you don’t like it, just complain to the manager.”
Laurent Voulzy and Betty ended up separating in 1980
But this success destabilizes the couple’s life. In 1979, Laurent released his first album, The Grenadine Heart which includes new successes: Karin Redinger, Cocktail chez mademoiselle, The Grenadine Heart…. Laurent and Betty ended up separating in 1980. Former producer of Alain Souchon’s accomplice for the RCA record label, Maria De Rossi shared her memories of this period in the book Laurent Voulzy – Authentic by Alain Wodrascka (City Éditions, 2017): “As his relationship with Betty was not good, he slept around very often, like a kid who runs away. (…) He used to spend the night with friends, once at Souchon, once at mine. He showed up with his guitar and also his backpack, he stretched out on the floor across the living room. And, all night long, as his stormy relationship with Betty was giving him the blues, he played the guitar!” The former spouses nevertheless maintained friendly relations, even after Laurent got back together with Mirella Lepetit, a journalist from the magazine The New Observer. The couple had two children, Cliff and Quentin. The artist and Mirella will marry in 2010.
Five years later, in November 2015, tragedy struck the Voulzy clan. Suffering from cancer and suffering from respiratory failure for several months, Betty died at home in the arms of her son Julien, at the age of 71. While he lives with his mother, his eldest lets her sleep on the sofa because she is more comfortable there. When he wakes up, he finds her in a strange position and witnesses her last moments, as he told Gala. “I held her in my arms, and she stopped breathing.” Julien then calls his little brother Nicolas (also a musician under the name Lieutenant Nicholson) and his father Laurent. The latter is on the Eurostar for London and returns in disaster.
Julien Voulzy’s life with his deceased mother, “in a kind of museum”
A few days later, friends and relatives came to say goodbye to Betty at the Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc church in Meudon-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine) where a religious ceremony took place. Alain Souchon is present, as well as his two sons, Charles (known as “Ours”) and Pierre. The interpreter of I am ten years old lost his father very young and sympathizes with the sons of the deceased. As for Julien, he decides to stay where his father lived. “After giving birth to me, my mother died in my arms, Julien was moved in 2021. Since then, I have still lived with her. I didn’t touch anything, and I feel strangely good in this kind of museum.”
Today, Julien – ex-member of the group Les Cherche Midi with Pierre Souchon – wants to remember the good times he had with his mother. “Not only did she have an incredible zest for life, but she was an outstanding cook, he smiled. When I arrived with friends at three in the morning, she made us dinner. Incredible stuff! Stuffed crabs, couscous… While yelling at us, telling us that she didn’t want to hear a sound.” She ended up leaving without a sound leaving a huge void.
