Grégory Jean-Paul Lemarchal (13 May 1983 – 30 April 2007), known professionally as Grégory Lemarchal, was a French singer who rose to fame by winning the fourth series of the reality television show ''

Star Academy ''Star Academy'', called ''Operación Triunfo'' ("Operation Triumph") in Spanish-speaking countries, is a highly successful television pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements. Format There are many versions of t ...

'', which was broadcast on the TF1. He died at the age of 23 of health complications ( cystic fibrosis) while waiting in hospital for a

lung transplant Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation, is a surgical procedure in which one or both lungs are replaced by lungs from a donor. Donor lungs can be retrieved from a living or deceased donor. A living donor can only donate one lung lobe. ...

. A posthumous album, '' La Voix d'un ange'', was released with profits going towards the Association Grégory Lemarchal charity. A compilation, ''Rêves'', was released in 2009. He has sold more than 2 million albums. Grégory Lemarchal remains an emblematic figure in France, often associated in the research and fight against cystic fibrosis.

Life and career

1983–2002: Early life

Lemarchal was born in

La Tronche La Tronche () is a commune in the Isère department, southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition which affects the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestine. Growing up near

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chamb ...

, Lemarchal enjoyed sports such as basketball and football, and even considered becoming involved in sports journalism. Nevertheless, his passion for music and rock n'roll dancing was irresistible. In 1997, at the age of 14, he became the winner of France Rock 'N' Roll, a rock 'n' roll dancing competition. In 1999, Lemarchal auditioned for a talent show, Graines de stars, by singing a solo rendition of

Daniel Balavoine Daniel Xavier-Marie Balavoine (; 5 February 1952 – 14 January 1986) was a French singer and songwriter. He was hugely popular in the French-speaking world in the early 1980s; he inspired many singers of his generation such as Jean-Jacques Gol ...

's "Le chanteur", as well as performing in a trio with two other contestants singing "

Foule sentimentale "Foule sentimentale" is a 1993 popular song written, composed and performed by the French artist Alain Souchon. The song was released as a single in October 1993 and was the first one from his 1993 album '' C'est déjà ça''. It achieved success ...

" by

Alain Souchon Alain Souchon (; born Alain Édouard Kienast ; 27 May 1944) is a French singer-songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films. Profile Alain Souchon was born in Casablanca, Morocco. His family on his mother ...

. This initial attempt failed, but helped to catapult him into fame and turned him into a local celebrity as a result of his performance in the show.

2003–2004: Career debut and ''Star Academy''

In May 2003, Lemarchal was involved in a musical entitled ''Adam and Eve'', which was directed by Paul Tordjmann. Sponsored by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

, AB Prod, Radio Scoop and Partouche, the production had ambitious plans to make a provincial tour, before a run at the Le Zénith in Paris. A total of 16 actors and dancers were involved in the production, with Lemarchal taking the lead role as Adam. In 2004, Lemarchal gained international recognition after participating in the fourth season of the French reality singing competition ''

''. Through the recommendation of a friend, he was contacted by the show's producers who needed another male contestant for the show. During his participation in the show, he had the opportunity to perform with French singers such as

Yannick Noah Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer. Noah won the French Open in 1983, and is currently the captain of both France's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. During his nearly two-decade ...

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

and Patrick Bruel, and Italian tenor

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...

. Lemarchal was announced as the winner of the season on 22 December 2004, beating fellow contestant Lucie Bernardoni with a massive vote of 80% to become the first male winner of the series.

2005–2007: ''Je deviens moi'' and ''Olympia 06''

Lemarchal released his debut single, "

Écris l'histoire "Écris l'histoire" is the debut and most successful single from French singer Grégory Lemarchal. It was released in March 2005 in francophone countries as first single from his album ''Je deviens moi'', where it had a great success, particularl ...

", in March 2005; it peaked at number 2 in the French Singles Chart and was only held off the number 1 spot by

Ilona Mitrecey Ilona Mitrecey (born 1 September 1993 in Fontenay-aux-Roses, Hauts-de-Seine) (more commonly known as Ilona) is a retired French singer. Biography Ilona always dreamed of becoming a stuntwoman or filmmaker. Her parents knew an Italian music pro ...

's "

Un Monde parfait "Un Monde parfait" ("A Perfect World" in English) is a 2005 song recorded by French young artist Ilona Mitrecey. Based on a traditional Neapolitan song, it was the first single from her debut album '' Un Monde parfait'' and was released in Febru ...

". The single spent a total of 21 weeks in the chart and went platinum. Soon afterward, he released his highly anticipated first album, ''

Je deviens moi ''Je deviens moi'' (meaning "I Become Myself") is the name of the first studio album recorded by the French singer Grégory Lemarchal. It was released on April 17, 2005 and contains the hit singles "Écris l'histoire" and "Je suis en vie". The al ...

'', which debuted at number 1 and was certified platinum. The second single from the album was "Je suis en vie". It debuted at number 17 in the French Singles Chart, dropping to number 26 in its second week before climbing back to position number 21. The song remained in the charts for a total of 13 weeks. A third single, "À corps perdu", was less successful, with major French radio stations refusing to play it on account that it was "too sad". At the NRJ Music Awards in January 2006, Lemarchal was awarded "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" ("Révélation francophone de l'année"). From May to June 2006, he completed his first solo nationwide tour across France, Belgium and Switzerland; a DVD of his performance, ''

Olympia 06 ''Olympia 06'' is the name of the only live album recorded by the French singer Grégory Lemarchal. It was recorded during the only series of concerts given by the artist at the Olympia of Paris in 2006 in order to support his debut album ''Je de ...

'', was subsequently released. The first single from the album, " Même si (What You're Made of)" was very successful. The song was recorded by Lemarchal and the original singer of the song,

Lucie Silvas Lucie Silvas (born Lucie Joanne Silverman, 4 September 1977) is a British singer-songwriter. Early life Born in Kingston upon Thames, England, her father is from New Zealand and is of Jewish descent; and her mother is Scottish and is Christia ...

, as a bilingual French-English version. The single debuted at number 2 in the French Singles Chart and was held off the number 1 spot by Pakito's " Living on Video". It spent a total of 26 weeks in the chart. A live version of the album track "Le feu sur les planches" was subsequently released.

2007: Death

In 2007, Lemarchal announced that his health was deteriorating and that he had been ordered by doctors to take a few weeks off to recuperate. On the morning of 30 April 2007, just two weeks before his 24th birthday, he died of complications while waiting in hospital for a

. His death made news headlines for an entire week, and more than five thousand fans arrived in Chambéry on the day of his funeral to pay their respects. A special television programme on 4 May 2007, "Grégory: La voix d'un ange", broadcast on TF1 to commemorate his life, reached an audience of more than 10.5 million viewers, and there was an appeal for donations to raise funds to fight cystic fibrosis and help progress research into finding a cure. To date, more than €7.5 million has been raised for cystic fibrosis causes in his memory. A controversy emerged following his demise when Frédéric Martin, a comedian, was fined €4,000 including 2,000 in damages, to be paid to Lemarchal's family. When Martin gave a list of winners on national television he referred to Lemarchal only by the name of his illness without giving his name.

2007–2009: Posthumous releases

A posthumous album, '' La voix d'un ange'', was released a month and a half after his death by his record company

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 ...

France, with profits going towards the Association Grégory Lemarchal. This release was not without controversy, for the record company was accused of cashing in on the public attention caused by his death. Despite the controversy the album was a success, topping both the French Digital and Album Charts in addition to the Belgian (Wallonia) Album Chart.''La Voix d'un ange'', in the French Digital Char
Ifop.com
(Retrieved 20 May 2008)''La Voix d'un ange'', in the French Album Char
Lescharts.com
(Retrieved 20 May 2008)''La Voix d'un ange'', in the Belgian (Wallonia) Album Char
Ultratop.be
(Retrieved 20 May 2008) The album was certified Platinum by the

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

for sales of more than 1 million copies across Europe. Three singles were released from the album. The song " De temps en temps" debuted at number 1 in both the French and Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Charts becoming Lemarchal's first number 1 single in those charts."De temps en temps", in various Singles Chart
Lescharts.com
(Retrieved 2 May 2008)"De temps en temps", in various Singles Char
Ultratop.be
(Retrieved 2 May 2008) The single dropped to number 2 in its second week, and went on to spend a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The success of the single eventually garnered him a posthumous award of

Vincent Scotto Vincent Scotto (21 April 1874 – 15 November 1952) was a French composer. Biography Early life Vincent Scotto was born on 21 April 1874 in Marseille to Pasquale Scotto d'Aniello and Antonia Intartaglia, from the island of Procida, north of th ...

by SACEM, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. The third single, "Restons Amis" debuted at number 9 in French Singles Chart and stayed in the chart for a total of 16 weeks. In November 2009, a compilation entitled '' Rêves'' was released, containing all Lemarchal's previous hit singles plus two unreleased songs. The album debuted at number 1 in France.

Legacy

* In response to the loss of their beloved son and brother, Grégory's family founded the Association Grégory Lemarchal on 7 June 2007. The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of cystic fibrosis sufferers and their families by providing information, funding research, and increasing public awareness of cystic fibrosis.Association Gregory Lemarchal
The Association Grégory Lemarchal has funded many activities, including aid and assistance to patients and their families affected by cystic fibrosis with the purpose of improving their quality of life. * In November 2007, Grégory Lemarchal's sister Leslie Lemarchal published ''Mon frère, l'artiste'' ("My brother, the artist", Michel Lafon Editions), a collection of photographs of Lemarchal and whose copyright is paid to the Association Grégory Lemarchal. * Later that same year, the production and contestants of ''

'' paid tribute to Lemarchal in a show entitled "La voix d'un ange". The show raised €6.3 million for the Association Grégory Lemarchal. * Asteroid 213637 Lemarchal was named in his memory. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 23 September 2010 (). * In August 2013, a team of celebrities entered the TV show '' Fort Boyard'' on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

to raise funds for the charity: the team collected six of the seven keys before visiting Blanche, and collected four clue-words with 2m20 in the Treasure Room. The team collected over €18,000 for the charity.

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (2005) *'' La voix d'un ange'' (2007) Live albums *''

'' (2006) *''Les pas d'un ange'' (2007) Compilation albums *'' Rêves'' (2009) *''Cinq ans'' (2012)

References

External links

* *
Official Grégory Lemarchal Website
*
Association Grégory Lemarchal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemarchal, Gregory 1983 births 2007 deaths Deaths from cystic fibrosis French pop singers French rock singers People from La Tronche Pop rock singers Star Academy (France) participants Star Academy winners Universal Records artists 20th-century French male singers