Guest in A Sunday in the countryside This January 5, Michel Fugain spoke about the circumstances of his conception in prison when his father was incarcerated by the Vichy regime.
Michel Fugain, popular singer with timeless hits, is known for his joie de vivre. But the artist experienced a real tragedy in his life. In 2002, his family was struck by the tragic disappearance of Laurette, one of his daughters, who died at the age of 22. as a result of leukemia. This loss deeply affected Michel Fugain and his family. In tribute to his daughter, his wife Stéphanie created the Laurette Fugai associationn, dedicated to the fight against leukemia and supporting medical research.
Guest on the show A Sunday in the countryside This January 5, Michel Fugain looked back on his childhood as tradition dictates. The singer revealed his parents conceived him in prison. His father, Pierre Fugain, a resistance fighter during the Second World War, was incarcerated at Fort Barraux by the Vichy regime.
Poetry synonymous with freedom
As a medical student, Pierre Fugain was put in charge of the prison infirmary, which allowed him to receive visits from his partner, Marie-Louise. It was during these visits that Michel Fugain was conceived: “My father was a student of Pétain and at that time he was a medical student, a young communist student. The guards who had a wild imagination told him: as you are a medical student, You will have the keys to the infirmary. Which allowed him to receive my mother. She gets knocked up on me and my dad asks permission for my birth.”
By obtaining permission to see his son, Pierre Fugain took the opportunity to win the favor of the chief of staff of the prefect of Grenoble, Louis Amade, by praising his talents as a poet: “He knew that the prefect's chief of staff wrote poetry in his spare time and he had just published a book. My father bought it and let it stick out of his pocket, which caught the eye of the chief of staff.”
This strategic gesture allowed him to obtain his definitive release. Subsequently, Pierre Fugain worked as a doctor and, driven by his humanist commitment, he offered free care to certain people after the war. Michel Fugain always remained very admiring of his father's commitment throughout his life.
