French singer and composer Georges Moustaki, whose romantic ballads won him global fame including the 1958 song “Milord” he penned for Edith Piaf, died on Thursday at the age of 79.
Born on May 3, 1934 to an immigrant European Jewish couple who had settled in Egypt, Moustaki — whose real name was Giuseppe Mustacchi — wrote some 300 songs, marked by their poetic and haunting qualities.
“He died early in the morning at 6:00 a.m. after a long illness. He passed away peacefully,” a friend said.
Moustaki’s flowing beard, soft eyes and curly locks gave him a Messiah-like appearance, and his “Milord” sung by Piaf, with whom he was romantically involved, became a worldwide sensation.
The song recounted the feelings of a lowly “girl of the port” who falls in love with an elegantly attired Englishman she has crossed several times in the street but who has never noticed her. It was one of the biggest selling songs in Germany and topped the charts elsewhere.
US singer Bobby Darin also did a version with slightly altered lyrics. His compatriot Cher did a version early in her career.
Moustaki changed his name in honour of his idol, French singer Georges Brassens, after he moved to Paris in 1951, where he lived in the posh Ile-Saint-Louis district, one of two natural islands on the river Seine.
His repertoire included songs in French, Italian, English, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic and Spanish.
Leading French stars sang his compositions including Yves Montand, Barbara, Dalida, Juliette Greco and Pia Colomba.
Moustaki quit the music scene in 2011 following what he said were “irreversible” respiratory problems that rendered him “definitively incapable of singing.”
He left Paris for the sunny southern city of Nice.
In his final interview to the Nice Matin newspaper in February, he said: “I regret not being able to sing in my bathroom. But singing in public, no. I’ve done it all… I’ve witnessed magical moments.”
“I want to write and paint. Spend my time on things I like doing, as I have always done,” he said.
Tributes poured in for the late artist.
“I hail a great artist whose popular songs carried a message that touched many generations of French people,” President Francois Hollande said in a statement.
“He was an absolutely exquisite man, very well brought up, refined and elegant who combined infinite sweetness and talent,” said French singer Greco.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault remembered Moustaki as a man “whose songs accompanied the French and myself for decades.”
“He was a troubadour, a great writer and poet. He left us sublime songs,” said French singer and actress Line Renaud.
Moustaki’s other hits included “Le Meteque”, “Sarah”, “Ma liberte”, “Ma solitude”, “Votre fille a vingt ans” and “La dame brune”.
French singer Georges Moustaki dies at 79
