The musician died "Saturday around 11:55 p.m.", an official from Universal France told AFP, confirming the news given by his saxophonist and friend Stef Gotkovski, of the death "of the gentleman we called Gros François" or even "Attilazaro".
His cheeky voice of Parisian titi will remain attached for the general public to the tube of the 1990s "In the bar-tobacco room of the rue des Martyrs", by Pigalle.
The leader of the Pigalle group and Les Garçons Bouchers, François Hadji-Lazaro in concert, July 15, 2012 in La Rochelle © XAVIER LEOTY / AFP/Archives
At the same time, he also founded Les Garçons Bouchers, author of the summer anti-hit "La Lambada, we don't like it" or a punk cover of "Viens voir les musicians", by Charles Aznavour.
But his influence on the French punk-rock scene goes far beyond: having frequented the founders of the Wampas or the Béruriers Noirs, he created the independent label Boucherie Productions, which gave a chance to many artists then emerging, including Mano Negra , before closing its doors in 2001 after filing for bankruptcy.
The leader of the Pigalle group and Les Garçons Bouchers, François Hadji-Lazaro, performs on November 3, 2004 at the Trianon in Paris © BERTRAND GUAY / AFP/Archives
His physical appearance as a colossus with braces, smooth skull and round face, has also caught the eye of film directors, who make him work on supporting roles or extras: he fits perfectly with the atmosphere of "La cité des lost children" by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and appears in particular in "Le Pacte des Loups".
He has also composed film music.
François Hadji-Lazaro ended up joining the Universal major, to continue to perform.
The leader of the Pigalle group and Les Garçons Bouchers, François Hadji-Lazaro in concert, July 15, 2012 in La Rochelle © XAVIER LEOTY / AFP/Archives
In recent years, the former teacher had also started to sing for young audiences, with book-discs titled in particular Pouët (2016) and Atchoum (2018).
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