The funeral of journalist and radio host Philippe Bouvard, who wanted to “play dead on the day of his burial”, was celebrated on Monday in Cannes, where he had retired and died on August 24 at the age of 96.
People, in the rows reserved at the front, and the general public filled the small Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Voyage church, a stone’s throw from the Palais des Festivals.
The actress Marianne James, the host Julien Lepers, the comedians Jacques Mailhot and Chantal Ladesou, Gilles Lanoue, the last living director of “Grosses Têtes” who had worked with him for sixteen years: all had wanted, despite this day when the media were back in Paris, to participate in this last tribute to the creator of “Grosses Têtes”, the cult RTL show born in 1977.
Show today hosted by Laurent Ruquier, who for his part dedicated today’s edition live to the founding father.
“He couldn’t resist a good word”
“He was charming, gentle, kind, adorable, generous and he showed that he loved you,” testified Chantal Ladesou, while television producer Gérard Louvin praised his career: “Starting as a courier and ending up as boss, what an incredible success, well done Philippe!”
“No one made me laugh as much as my father,” greeted his eldest daughter Dominique, also evoking the attention he paid to the health of those close to him. “As soon as we reached 37.5°C, we had to go to the hospital,” she remembers.
“Even in the worst circumstances he couldn’t resist a good word,” noted Nathalie, his other daughter, recalling some of his “jokes”: “Death is never more than one day in life, the last, it seems” or “I have always avoided funerals, to the point of playing dead on mine”.
One of his four grandsons present, like two great-grandsons, paid a very emotional tribute to “Phiphi and Coco”, the couple that the media man formed with Colette, his wife of more than 70 years.
Among the personalities present were also many of his colleagues from RTL where he had made his debut in 1965, such as Régis Ravanas, former president of the station, Jonathan Curiel, its current manager, and Jérôme Godefroy, former editorial director. Former colleagues from Le Figaro and Nice-Matin, newspapers with which Philippe Bouvard had collaborated, were also part of the tribute paid to the journalist.
“At 8 years old, I wanted to live in Cannes and not die elsewhere,” he said. It’s done,” recalled the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard, in turn using a witticism by pointing out that Philippe Bouvard, an inveterate gambler and Rolls-Royce enthusiast, had managed to “park his coffin” a stone’s throw from a nearby casino on the famous Croisette… “He was the French spirit, a jack of all trades, and also, let’s not forget, a gifted writer,” he added.
After the religious tribute, burial was planned in the family vault in the Grand-Jas cemetery in Cannes.
