Bernard Lachance (23 June 1974 – 11 May 2021) was a Canadian singer-songwriter.

Biography

Lachance had a great interest in music during his youth, starting with piano. He began studying at the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec (CMQQ) is a music conservatory located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Founded by the Quebec government in 1944, it became the second North American music institution of higher learning to be en ...

in 1989 before leaving

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

for

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

to work in show business. He notably performed at the

Capitole de Québec The Capitole de Québec is a Beaux Arts-style theatre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is located in Old Quebec on Place d'Youville. It was listed on the Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec in 1984, and became a National Historic Si ...

and the

Molson Centre Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...

. In 1997, he founded the production labels Phénix Productions and Prospectart alongside Serge Paré. He then released his first album, ''Seul'', with composer and engineer Bernard Torelli. It was released in 1998 and received immediate success. However, his production studios closed soon afterwards and he severed ties with Paré. In 2000, Lachance founded the record label Productions Ad Libitum, with Sylvain Gagné as his sole investor. He then released his second album, ''Ad Libitum'', which sold over 100,000 copies. In 2005, he nearly signed with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, although the partnership did not come to fruition. He then released another album, titled ''While I Remember You''. In 2003, Lachance performed a solo concert at the Bell Centre, selling 4000 tickets. In 2007, he performed at

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to seat ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2008. The following year, he signed with the record label Isba. In 2020, Lachance appeared on program on

Le Canal Nouvelles Le Canal Nouvelles (LCN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian French language discretionary service 24-hour headline news channel owned by Groupe TVA, a division of Québecor. Its broadcasting headquarters are located in Montreal, Quebec. The chann ...

, he alleged that

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

is a "fraudulent, criminal and also scripted by the same actors and the same institutions as those involved in the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic". Lévesque did not broadcast the interview. Lachance then published a paper on the internet on

HIV/AIDS denialism HIV/AIDS denialism is the belief, despite conclusive evidence to the contrary, that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Some of its proponents reject the existence of HIV, while othe ...

. Afterwards, he was invited to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel to discuss the parallels between AIDS and the COVID-19 pandemic. Bernard Lachance died on 11 May 2021, at the age of 46. On January 7, 2022, following a coroner's inquiry, it was demonstrated that Bernard Lachance died of HIV-AIDS related

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

.Tristan Péloquin
"Le chanteur Bernard Lachance est bien mort du sida"
'' La Presse'', January 6, 2022.

Discography

*''Seul'' (1998) *''Ad Libitum'' (2000) *''While I Remember You'' (2005)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lachance, Bernard 1974 births 2021 deaths 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers Canadian conspiracy theorists People from Lévis, Quebec Singers from Quebec AIDS-related deaths in Canada HIV/AIDS denialists Canadian LGBT singers Place of death missing 21st-century Canadian LGBT people Canadian male singer-songwriters Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec alumni 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters