Former Minister of Culture and television man, Frédéric Mitterrand died Thursday March 21 at his Parisian home at the age of 76, after a battle of "several months against an aggressive cancer", his family announced to AFP .

Nephew of former president François Mitterrand, minister under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, this man of letters and cinema announced in April 2023 that he was “sick”, without saying more.

Evoking his “immense sadness”, Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute on

Carla and I learned with immense sadness of the death of Frederic Mitterrand. He was a deeply cultured and delicate man, a special being, sensitive and endearing, an unclassifiable personality so far from partisan life. He was an enthusiastic Minister of Culture…

— Nicolas Sarkozy (@NicolasSarkozy) March 21, 2024

“He was an enthusiastic and passionate Minister of Culture, who exercised his functions with panache and talent. He will leave his films, his books, his broadcasts as so many testimonies of his love for art and culture,” a- he added.

"Bad life"

Also a writer, Frédéric Mitterrand did not hesitate to confess his “bad life”. In 2005, he told the story of his sexual and paid wanderings in Thailand and the Maghreb.

First praised, the book then sparked controversy, forcing him to defend himself from any relationship with minors or to advocate child crime.

Frédéric Mitterrand's book, "The Bad Life", written in 2005, recounts his sexual and paid wanderings in Thailand and the Maghreb. © Jacques Demarthon, AFP

Born on August 21, 1947 in the beautiful neighborhoods of Paris, Frédéric Mitterrand made a name for himself thanks to television.

“Stars and Canvases” is the name of the first show he hosted on the front page from 1981: there he flamboyantly resurrects the stars, especially the actresses, and dissects the great films.

The man instills his cinephilia in the viewer, captivated by this haunting voice, with its recognizable phrasing.

Frédéric Mitterrand celebrates the 100th edition of his show "Étoiles et Toiles" in the company of actress Annabella and producer Martine Jouando, on March 19, 1985 in Paris. © Pierre Verdy, AFP

He left TF1 in 1988 – which became a private channel – for Antenne 2 and the public service.

Support from Jacques Chirac

He also appeared on the screen as a child: at 13, he played Michèle Morgan's son in "Fortunat", with Bourvil (1960). He also went behind the camera and notably directed "Lettres d'amour en Somalie" (1981), written in the first person, and the opera "Madame Butterfly", filmed in Tunisia (1995).

Despite his name, he refuses to follow in the footsteps of an uncle he admires. In June 1993, he joined the Movement of Left Radicals (MRG). In May 1995, he supported Jacques Chirac, presidential candidate.

Appointed head of the Villa Medici in Rome by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008, he returned to Paris a few months later to take over the Ministry of Culture, until the 2012 presidential election, lost by the right.

Jacques Chirac, candidate for the presidential election and host and director Frédéric Mitterrand, at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, in Paris. © Georges Bendrihem, AFP

In this position, this father of three children notably confronted entertainment workers, had the Hadopi law adopted and led major projects, some launched before his arrival: the Mucem in Marseille or the Philharmonie in Paris.

With AFP

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