Son of Paul Chichet, general director of L'Indépendant, he died in Paris on January 1, 2025.
Jacques Chichet, 77, died on January 1 in Paris. An essential personality for an entire generation of Perpignans, he notably served as commercial director of L'Indépendant, founded Radio Midi Soleil in the golden age of free radio, before becoming a winemaker. He had lived for 20 years in Marrakech, Morocco, where he chose to retire.
Despite this installation far from Perpignan, where he returned on average twice a year, he leaves a lasting memory with all those he met. “He was a person of immense kindness, says of him Michel Demelin, journalist but above all a childhood friend. He was very loyal in friendship, endowed with remarkable intelligence, capable of bouncing back on all subjects. He was also a bit extravagant.” Michel Badrignans, former editorial director of L'Indépendant, was very close to him and also spent a lot of time with him. “I knew him more than well, more in the friendly than professional sphere. He was a hunter, a fisherman, very kind, unpredictable.”
Radio Midi Soleil
Jacques was the son of Paul Chichet. The latter, great-grandson of Lazare Escarguel (19th century republican politician, founding member of the newspaper when it was recreated in 1868), became its general director when the newspaper was relaunched in 1950. All naturally, Jacques had cut his teeth in the world of the Parisian press before returning to Perpignan as commercial director of the newspaper.
Above all, he created Radio Midi Soleil in 1982. “It was a very beautiful radio, estimates Esteve Vaills, author of a book on free radios in the Catalan country. There was a real editorial team, verified information, shows for everyone. It was a kind of Europe 1 at the local level.” The experiment continued until 1987 and then ended. “He told me that the radio station was not losing money, but that it was not profitable enough.”
Family drama
In 1986, after the sale of L'Indépendant to the Midi Libre group, Jacques Chichet devoted himself, with his father and his sister Laure, to his wine property in Alénya, the cradle of the family. At Mas Chichet, these years were marked by a desire for innovation, introducing new grape varieties into the department. He also became interested in real estate and moved to Marrakech, Morocco, to retire there.
His life, however, was marked by a wound that never healed: the death of his twin brother, at 19, in a road accident. “We cannot talk about him without mentioning this tragedy which shocked the whole family, explains Michel Demelin. Having had the chance to know him before and after, I can say that he was no longer the same.”
Jacques Chichet was married and father of two children, Laure and Édouard. His funeral will take place privately in Paris. The Independent sends its condolences to the entire family.
