What a Send-Off! Michel Blanc’s Funeral – A Celebration of Life
Ah, are we sure we’re not reading the script for a classic French comedy? Because Michel Blanc’s funeral had all the elements of a bittersweet film. Here’s the scene: voices trembling with emotion, the church of Saint-Eustache buzzing with laughter between tears. It was a moving farewell to a man who could make you laugh just as easily as he could make you cry. Who knew a funeral could feel so… well, fabulous?
Friends In High Places
With the likes of Brigitte Macron, Rachida Dati, and a thousand adoring fans packing the house, it was clear this was no ordinary send-off. This wasn’t just any funeral; it was a pop-up event attended by A-listers and lifelong friends, all here to pay tribute to one of France’s beloved actors. Even the parish priest, Yves Trocheris, seemingly possessed the wit to keep the crowd engaged while delivering heartfelt tributes.
Classy and Elegant, Just Like Michel
Dominique Besnehard, Michel’s agent for years, dubbed the ceremony “very classy and very elegant.” Fancy that! We thought “elegant” only applied to galas, not goodbyes. But in true Michel fashion, it embodied sincerity. Before you could say “je ne sais quoi,” the parish priest swept everyone off their feet with a homily that had both laughter and tears flowing.
Mathilda May: Touching Tribute to a ‘Brilliant’ Friend
Perhaps the most poignant moment came courtesy of actress Mathilda May, who described Michel as “affectionate, faithful, brilliant, sensitive.” She reminisced about their collaboration in “Grosse Fatigue.” If that’s not the ultimate homage, I don’t know what is! Who wouldn’t want to be remembered as ‘the one who guided a young girl into the world of cinema’?
Josiane Balasko: Quirk and Heart Combined
Ah, the irrepressible Josiane Balasko — you know it’s going to be a laugh when she shows up. She remarked that the affair was “very beautiful,” and humorously added that there was “even a Jean-Claude Dusse behind.” I mean, that’s like spotting a unicorn at a wedding — you can’t help but chuckle. “Michel would’ve loved it!” she declared, and so it seems!
Cheers to the Good Times
And just when you thought the mood couldn’t get more uplifting, applause erupted as Michel’s coffin was carried out, a final round of applause for the man who blessed us with role after role of hilarity and warmth. It’s not everyday you see a coffin get a standing ovation, but then again, it’s not every day you say goodbye to a legend.
Final Remarks: The Humor, the Love, and the Loss
“Fuck, Michel, what have you done to us?” – Jean-Paul Rouve, clearly channeling the energy of a hundred sitcoms.
Rougue managed to balance sentiment with humor, lamenting, “You left Michel, but not to the local restaurant. We miss you.” And truly, who wouldn’t when a friend leaves us with a vast empty space where laughter used to echo?
The Importance of Community
In a beautiful stroke of inclusivity, the ceremony welcomed the public, ensuring that every fan, every friend, had a chance to participate in this memorable goodbye. We’ve all heard that laughter is the music of the soul, and Michel Blanc’s farewell echoed like a symphony.
A Culinary Heaven Awaiting Michel
As if ascending to the pearly gates armed with punchlines and laughter, Balasko even conjured an image of him: “We wish you a paradise with gourmet meals.” Well, if there’s a heaven for comic geniuses, you can bet there will be a buffet!
So, here’s to you, Michel Blanc — may your new adventures be filled with laughter, friends, and all the gourmet delights you could dream of. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, and your undeniable charm. We’ll miss you but your legacy, my friend, will live on in the hearts (and sides) of many.
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A moving funeral of Michel Blanc
His friends from “Splendid”, Brigitte Macron, Rachida Dati and a thousand fans came to pay a final tribute to Michel Blanc on Thursday in Paris.
His funeral took place in the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris. The ceremony, led by the parish priest Yves Trocheris, was praised.
It was marked by speeches as moving as they were funny from those close to him, the actors Jean-Paul Rouve and Josiane Balasko.
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A “very classy and very elegant” ceremony for Dominique Besnehard
Michel Blanc’s funeral was “very classy and very elegant”, producer Dominique Besnehard, who was his agent for seven or eight years, testified on BFMTV.
“It sounded like Michel. It was sincere,” added Dominique Besnehard, specifying that he was “swept away” by the homily of Father Yves Trocheris. “I had a lot of pleasure and honor working with him.”
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Mathilda May salutes a man who is “affectionate, faithful, brilliant, sensitive”
The actress Mathilda May confided her emotion after the ceremony. “He was affectionate, faithful, brilliant, sensitive,” said the actress.
“He is part of my story. Without him, I don’t know if I would have coped so well with being a young girl thrown into the world of cinema overnight,” she added.
Michel Blanc and Mathilda May played together in Grosse fatigue, which the actor directed in 1994.
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“A very beautiful ceremony” according to Josiane Balasko
Josiane Balasko confided her emotion to the microphone of BFMTV after the funeral of Michel Blanc, before leaving the Saint-Eustache church.
“It was a very beautiful ceremony. There were a lot of people. There was even a Jean-Claude Dusse behind. I think he would have liked it,” she said.
The other members of the Splendid Thierry Lhermitte and Christian Clavier, very moved, quickly left the scene.
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The ceremony ends with applause
The funeral of Michel Blanc ends. The actor’s coffin leaves the Saint-Eustache church in Paris.
The guests – Dany Boon, Patrice Leconte and Jean-Michel Ribes – and the public applaud the coffin.
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A “simple, moving” ceremony according to Jean-Michel Ribes
Moved by the disappearance of Michel Blanc, Jean-Michel Ribes spoke to BFMTV about the significant moment of the actor’s funeral.
“Rouve’s speech was very good. It was simple, moving. It resembled him. Because of the humor, the cheekiness.”
“Fuck, Michel, what have you done to us? Because of you, we find ourselves like idiots with dark glasses and handkerchiefs in a church,” declared Jean-Paul Rouve during the ceremony.
“You left Michel, but not to the local restaurant. We miss you,” he added, very moved.
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The tribute of Father Yves Trocheris
“Go ahead, your Lord is waiting for you and opens his arms to you,” declared Yves Trocheris, the father who presided over the ceremony, during the mass.
Father Yves Trocheris officiated at the funeral of Gaspard Ulliel and of Marie Laforêt.
The celebration returned to the brutality of the actor’s disappearance as well as the sensitivity which characterized him.
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Balasko wishes Michel Blanc “a paradise with gourmet meals”
Josiane Balasko also spoke during the funeral of Michel Blanc.
“You who almost became a pianist, you will be able to spend your evenings playing with everyone,” she declared, in a nod to the actor’s primary vocation.
“We wish you a paradise with gourmet meals,” she also added in tribute to this actor known for having been a bon vivant.
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Jean-Paul Rouve’s tribute during mass
Jean-Paul Rouve spoke during the mass. With a marked face, the actor saluted the memory of his friend with humor.
“Fuck, Michel, what have you done to us? Because of you, we end up like idiots with dark glasses and handkerchiefs in a church.”
“You left Michel, but not to the local restaurant. We miss you,” he added, very moved. The two men have often toured together, including one last time in Les Cadors in 2023.
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The ceremony begins
The funeral ceremony for Michel Blanc begins. The actor’s coffin was transported to the Saint-Eustache church with Jean-Baptiste Lully’s March for the Ceremony of the Turks in the background.
The coffin of Michel Blanc arriving in the Saint-Eustache church in Paris, October 10, 2024. © BFMTV
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Brigitte Macron, Dany Boon and Patrice Leconte among the guests
First lady Brigitte Macron arrived at the Saint-Eustache church in Paris to attend the funeral of Michel Blanc.
Brigitte Macron at the funeral of Michel Blanc, at the Saint-Eustache church in Paris on October 10, 2024. © JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
The director Patrice Leconte, who shot several films with Michel Blanc including Les Bronzés and Monsieur Hire, is also among the guests. Dany Boon accompanied him.
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Yves Trocheris, the father who presides over the ceremony
The ceremony is presided over by Father Yves Trocheris, who officiated at the funeral of Gaspard Ulliel and of Marie Laforêt.
The celebration will return to the brutality of the actor’s disappearance as well as the sensitivity which characterized him.
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Michel Blanc’s coffin has arrived
Michel Blanc’s coffin arrived in front of the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris. He was applauded by the crowd gathered outside the venue.
Christian Clavier and Carole Bouquet have just arrived, followed a few moments later by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati.
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“Someone very caring”: Isabelle Mergault’s tribute
Director Isabelle Mergault, who directed Michel Blanc in I find you very beautiful, praised the memory of the actor. She had not spoken publicly since the actor’s death.
“He was a very kind person,” she declared on BFMTV. “It’s a real shock. We will miss him. “He was a very dignified, very modest person. Very warm and he didn’t show it much.”
“For my first film, he was extraordinary. He was fully involved,” she remembered. The film had 3.3 million admissions in 2005.
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Josiane Balasko has arrived
The actress Josiane Balasko, member of Splendid and great friend of Michel Blanc, arrived at the Saint-Eustache church. Very complicit, the duo often collaborated.
In addition to the Bronzés trilogy, Michel Blanc and Josiane Balasko played together in the cinema in Grosse fatigue and Demi-sœur.
Josiane Balasko surrounded by her husband and Bruno Moynot, at the funeral of Michel Blanc, October 10, 2024. © STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP
The actress also chose him to play in her first theater productions, Bunny’s Bar and Nuit d’ivresse in the 1980s.
Marie-Anne Chazel, Bruno Moynot and Gérard Jugnot, three other members of Splendid, also arrived on site.
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The emotion of the public
A large crowd gathered in front of the Saint-Eustache church near Les Halles, for a final farewell to Michel Blanc.
The first personalities are also arriving. Michel Blanc’s former agent, Dominique Besnehard, is there, as are actor Martin Lamotte and actress and director Isabelle Mergault, who had the actor in her film I Find You Very Beautiful in 2005.
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Open to the public
The ceremony will not have a guest list. Ramatoulaye Diop, Michel Blanc’s companion, wanted to offer a tribute open to the public, subject to availability.
While several hundred admirers are expected to honor the memory of the actor, a sound broadcast of the ceremony is also planned on the church square.
The ceremony should also feature music. A great music lover, Michel Blanc initially dreamed of being a pianist. Piano concerto No. 9 in E flat major, known as the Young Man concerto by Mozart. A work that Michel Blanc particularly appreciated. “It hooked me right away, and it continues to be my favorite concerto by Mozart,” he said in the program Ouvert libre in 2013.
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A tribute from the Splendid troupe
Members of Splendid must speak during the ceremony to pay a final tribute to Michel Blanc, the actor’s entourage told AFP. Michel Blanc is the first of the troupe to die.
His former comrades Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte, Marie-Anne Chazel and Bruno Moynot expressed “with one voice” their “immense pain” in a press release last week.
All seven of them posed again in April for the weekly Paris Match, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the troupe which was formed at the high school.
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The funeral of Michel Blanc will begin in Paris
Hello everyone. Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the funeral of Michel Blanc. The unforgettable interpreter of Jean-Claude Dusse died suddenly at the age of 72 last week.
His funeral will be celebrated this Thursday from 4 p.m. in the Saint-Eustache church, in the center of Paris where the actor lived. Father Yves Trocheris, parish priest of the church, will preside over the ceremony.
