Gilles Girard, voice of Les Classels, dies at 84

Gilles Girard, the lead singer of the Quebec yé-yé group Les Classels, has died at 84, his family announced Sunday.

His son, Sam Girard, shared the news on Facebook on Oct. 18. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear papa,” he wrote in French, adding that his father was surrounded by family and by people who love him. He said details about tributes would follow, Noovo Info reported.

Radio-Canada reported that Girard died of severe pneumonia. The family did not say where he died.

Born in Montreal on Feb. 16, 1942, Girard first recorded as a teenager under the stage name Danny Boy. In 1960 he joined the Special Tones, a group that officially became Les Classels in 1964. The band also included Michel Caron, Jean-Clément Drouin, Serge Drouin and Pierre Therrien, according to Radio-Canada.

Les Classels stood out in the 1960s for performing in matching white outfits and for recording mostly original French-language songs at a time when many Quebec groups were covering English hits. Their best-known songs include Avant de me dire adieu, Ton amour a changé ma vie, Le sentier de neige, Tu le regretteras and Mon premier amour.

The group was named most spectacular group at the Gala des Artistes in 1965 and sold more than a million records, Radio-Canada reported.

Les Classels split up in 1971 and Girard went on to a solo career. He reformed the group in 1977 as Gilles Girard et les Super Classels.

In 2016, he returned to Quebec festival stages with Souvenirs 60, a show he performed with the musicians of the group Poker, Noovo Info reported. In 2024, he appeared on the Radio-Canada variety show Zénith, representing the baby boomer generation.

Tributes from Quebec artists followed the announcement. Singer Michèle Richard wrote on Facebook that she was deeply saddened and described Girard as authentic, gentle and passionate about life and his craft, Radio-Canada reported.

Quebec author Stéphane Laporte wrote that the singer, small in stature, “was surely the greatest of the yé-yé.” Singer Sylvain Cossette called Girard “one of the greatest voices of Quebec.” Both comments were written in French.

Searches for Girard’s name and for Les Classels climbed sharply on Google Trends Canada after the announcement.

Girard’s death comes days after the Canadian music community lost another veteran performer, Juno-winning rock singer Sass Jordan.

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Via Radio-Canada and Noovo Info, with information from La Presse Canadienne.