Claude François

AKA:

Cloclo

Birth Name:

Claude Antoine Marie François

Birth Date:

February 1, 1939

Birth Place:

Ismailia, Kingdom of Egypt

Death Date:

March 11, 1978

Place of Death:

46 Boulevard Exelmans, 75016, Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Electrocuted in the bathtub

Cemetery Name:

Cimetière de Dannemois

Claim to Fame:

Music

Claude François was a popular French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of "Comme d'habitude" (composed by Jacques Revaux), the original version of "My Way" (as made famous by Frank Sinatra) and composed the music of "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant", the original version of "My Boy". Among his other famous songs are "Le Téléphone Pleure", "Le lundi au soleil", "Magnolias for Ever" and "Alexandrie Alexandra". He also enjoyed considerable success with French-language versions of English-language songs, including "Belles! Belles! Belles!" (The Everly Brothers' "Made to Love"), "Cette année là" ("December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)") and "Je vais à Rio" ("I Go to Rio"). François has sold over 35 million records and was about to embark for the United States when he was accidentally electrocuted in March 1978 at age 39. Then French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is quoted as saying Claude François was, to him, "the French equivalent of The Beatles".

Not-So-Fun Facts

Inspector Michel Pleiber, called to the scene of the tragedy to investigate the death of Claude François, put an end to the many rumors circulating about this disappearance in the columns of the famous Parisian. Claude François died electrocuted in his bath, after having wanted to repair a wall lamp. As Pleiber remembered, “There was an almost rectilinear hematoma on the right shoulder, which clearly indicated a fall. This fall made him violently hit the edge of the tub. For me, there is no doubt: he had stood up to straighten the wall lamp. There was plenty of water around the tub. And the wall lamp was peeled off the wall and hung. He slipped his hand behind the wall light and touched the electrical wires. He died from electrocution as confirmed by the forensic pathologist and the duty inspector of the neighborhood police station.”

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière de Dannemois

Rue des Francs-Tireurs

Dannemois, , 91490

France

Europe

Grave Location:

François Family Plot

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery, there are four distinct sections. Claude François can be found in the second from the left section, second row from the back wall and three graves from the dirt path through the cemetery.