Artists, political figures, close friends and family members of Jean Lapointe trod the forecourt of the Saint-Viateur church in Outremont on Saturday morning to pay their last respects to the artist so beloved by Quebecers. . The snow falling in large flakes seemed to soften the pain by bringing a little magic to this special and intimate moment reserved for a hundred guests.
• Read also: Funeral of Jean Lapointe: a tribute through the words of Félix Leclerc
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The ceremony began at 11 a.m. at Saint-Viateur Church in Outremont and was reserved for the family and close friends of the actor and philanthropist.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
A large photo of Jean Lapointe all smiles, his bamboo urn topped with a piece of slate and bouquets of white flowers were arranged in front of the altar of the church, so that guests might keep an eye on the artist disappeared throughout the intimate, but televised, ceremony.
A moment of silence was kept at the beginning of this moving ceremony of sobriety celebrated by Monsignor Alain Faubert, parish priest of Saint-Germain d’Outremont since 2012 and auxiliary bishop of Montreal since 2016.
Marie-Élaine Thibert, dressed in a long black dress, sang “Si on chantait ensemble” magnificently, a piece by Jean Lapointe written in 1982, also the title of her 5th career album. The singer received warm applause at the end of her performance and was even accompanied by several guests who joined their voices to hers during her performance.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
The former Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien, who appointed Jean Lapointe to the Senate in 2001, was the first political figure to deliver a testimony in memory of this Quebec giant during the ceremony. Jean Lapointe was “one of the great francophones in the history of Quebec and of his generation,” underlined Mr. Chrétien. He wanted to recall the versatility of the deceased: actor, singer, composer, performer and comedian.
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“What a noble profession to spend hours and hours refining texts to find the right words,” whispered the politician, who underlined the “unique career” of the deceased. The former PM recalled that Mr. Lapointe had made the leap into politics to help those who were affected by the disease and the poorest.
François Legault, the Premier of Quebec also spoke: “We are here to celebrate an exceptional artist, he said. Jean Lapointe had all the talents.”
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The Prime Minister spoke of comedic talents, a solo career in song (“Chante-la ta chanson is still one of the most requested songs in Quebec karaoke,” he said) and the great roles of Jean Lapointe therefore that of Duplessis of which he shared the dialogue of a scene taken from the 1978 series.
“He is one of the first known people to speak out regarding his alcohol addiction,” he added. He broke down prejudices. On behalf of the millions who have been impacted by Jean Lapointe, I want to say a huge thank you Jean Lapointe.”
Actor Benoît Brière read a poem that Quebec’s most famous singer, Félix Leclerc, had written to his friend Jean Lapointe in 1980. He also gave a testimony combining humor and emotion, in his own image and that of the missing artist. The actor said he believed he was speaking on behalf of all the members of the artistic colony by sharing his deep respect with the one he affectionately nicknamed “Maître Lapointe” and his family.
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“A giant among sacred monsters; authentic and true, so true (…) Hi and above all thank you Master Jean, thank you for everything, thank you for all”, he declared before receiving a long and moving standing ovation.
Two of his children, Jean-Marie and Marie-Josée, took the floor to honor his memory and wish him a last goodbye, while his daughter, Anne Elizabeth, paid tribute to him in song with an a cappella interpretation of ” The lament to my brother”, a piece interpreted by his father.
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“I’m not crying in silence, there are several of us crying together,” said Jean-Marie Lapointe upon his arrival.
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In music, singer Frayne McCarthy sang, for his part, “I Believe / What a Wonderful World”, a piece that the comedian and philanthropist loved.
Several Quebec personalities took part in the celebrations, including the President and CEO of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau. “For me, it’s a special moment because he was a great friend of my father. He is a man who has also invested himself in social causes. They had their own demons if I may say so. They had the greatness to recognize it and to invest themselves in helping all those who have unfortunately been struck by this scourge”, mentioned Mr. Péladeau, before the ceremony, emphasizing the great respect he has for Jean Lapointe as well as his own father.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
“I think it’s a great loss for Quebec, for the simple and good reason that Jean Lapointe is in the image of Quebec. He is a man who, with determination, led his life as he saw fit. He is a completely complete artist in all media,” mentioned his great friend Winston McQuade, who believes that Jean Lapointe was a person representative of Quebec culture.
No state funeral
Remember that, even if the family wished, Jean Lapointe will not be entitled to a state funeral. This decision had raised many questions in the National Assembly, while many believe that he deserved it.
“I find it shameful that he doesn’t have a state funeral. He saved thousands of lives. He was an exceptional man. We loved him with his qualities and his faults. It is an extraordinary model of resilience. I think the minimum is to pay tribute to him one last time, to say thank you to him,” mentioned the former mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre.
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What they said…
- “I feel good. I feel transported by many beautiful emotions, testimonials that we have not stopped receiving for the past few weeks. I feel privileged. I feel a little feverish because it’s a whole ceremony that we have prepared. [Ce sera] in sobriety, in simplicity, but also like dad, there will be music, there will be prayers. There will be testimonials. We just want to be inhabited by a message that he shared throughout his life and that we pursue in our own way,” mentioned the son of Jean Lapointe, Jean-Marie.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
- “He is a guy who has built himself. He’s not pretentious. He was from the rural part of Quebec, just like me, and then he made his way here and he went to the top in his own way. He had an extraordinary personality. He was unique. His variety of talent was amazing. So I’m happy to pay tribute to him today,” said Mr. Chrétien.
- “It’s important for me to be here today. Jean Lapointe is an exceptional artist who had all the talents,” said Mr. Legault, remembering the work of the actor and philanthropist.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
- “He has an incredible artistic legacy […] Ce [mausus] self-taught, he taught us everything to play. He is such a kind and caring man. […] We are lucky to be able to continue to see him, to hear him,” said Benoît Brière on his arrival at the church.
- “I don’t know anyone else who has marked Quebec on so many levels. On the cultural level, he has as an actor, but also in song. Then, on a social level, the Jean Lapointe Foundation has had a major impact on tens of thousands of people who have been helped […] and he had a political career,” said Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
- “Jean Lapointe will have had a lasting and positive impact on the lives of thousands of Quebecers, whether as a singer-songwriter and an actor […] We will also remember the positive work of the Jean Lapointe Foundation to fight once morest all forms of addiction, whether alcohol, gambling or drugs,” added the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay.
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- “He is a larger than life man. He’s a great, Jean Lapointe. It’s valuable, young people may not remember it,” said Claude Meunier, who had the chance to work with Jean Lapointe.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
- “He really is an amazing person. It’s a great honor and I’m friends with Jean-Marie. It’s important for me to be here on many, many facets. One, I am a drug addict and he helped us a lot,” explained model Ève Salvail.
- “It’s a shared feeling, at the same time he was of a respectable age, a little too young in my opinion to leave, but he leaves an example with his children who are so wonderful. They are in his image, full of heart, humility, simplicity, despite their great intelligence and their inner fire,” said comedian and humorist Emmanuel Bilodeau, recounting a memory he had with Jean Lapointe.
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- “He is a great gentleman, but very simple […] he was very good at making people laugh and very good at touching,” explained comedian Jean-Michel Anctil following comedian Hubert Proulx asked him which Jean Lapointe talent he would like to have.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / QMI AGENCY
