The singer Gilles Dreu, famous for his success Alouette in 1968, died on January 7, 2025 at his home in Vals-les-Bains, in Ardèche, at the age of 90.
Gilles Dreu died at his home this Tuesday, January 7. The announcement of his death was made to AFP by his producer, Pierre-Nicolas Cléré, on behalf of the family. The artist revealed in 2020 that he had canceragainst which he had fought courageously for several years. An illness which did not prevent him from releasing a final album called The Friends Counterwith Serge Lama, Fabienne Thibault, Didier Barbelivien, Stone and Gérard Lenorman.
In 2022, despite the illness, Gilles Dreu celebrated his 60th career during a concert at La Nouvelle Ève in Paris, testifying to his unwavering passion for music and his determination to remain close to his audience until the end.
Gilles Dreu: an artist marked by drama
Born July 31, 1934 in Dreux, Jean-Paul Chapuisat, his real name, spent part of his childhood in Africa and the West Indies, before settling in Marseille. Later, he frequented the Montmartre cabarets, where he was noted for his interpretation of When you only have love by Jacques Brel. It was at this time that he adopted the pseudonym Gilles Dreu, in homage to his hometown.. His career really took off in 1968 with the release of the title Larkan adaptation of a musical theme by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez, which met with resounding success.
Subsequently, Gilles Dreu shared the stage with renowned artists. His growing popularity led him to host his own show, James Dreu without threeon Télé Monte-Carloin 1973. Alongside his musical career, he made appearances in the cinema, notably in Surprise sock by Jean-François Davy in 1978 and The cry of the owl by Claude Chabrol in 1987.
On a personal level, Gilles Dreu went through painful ordeals with the loss of three of his children : his eldest son Christophe, died by suicide at the age of 28, his daughter Dominique, died of uterine cancer, and his stepson Benjamin, victim of a car accident at 26. He leaves behind his youngest son, Baptisteas well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, proofread, corrected and enriched by the editorial journalists.
