French pop star and style icon Françoise Hardy has died at the age of 80, her son Thomas Dutronc announced on Instagram.
“Mom is gone,” wrote Dutronc under a photo of himself as a baby cradled by Hardy.
Sympathies poured in on social networks.
“How do I say goodbye? The eternal Françoise Hardy, legend of French song, who entered, through her sensitivity and her melodies, into the heart of an entire country,” French culture minister Rachida Dati posted on her official account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I send my warmest thoughts to her son Thomas Dutronc, his family and those close to him.”
French prime minister Gabriel Attal also took to X.
“French icon, a singular voice with fierce tranquility, Françoise Hardy will have rocked generations of French people for whom she will remain anchored in moments of life. For me, she’s my whole childhood,” he wrote.
Former First lady of France Carla Bruni replied on Dutronc’s post: “Hello sadness. Rest in peace…”
Hardy’s first song, the self-penned and composed 1962 hit “Tous les garçons et les filles” (“All the Girls and Boys”) lamented her lack of love, and instantly cemented her star status.
Françoise Hardy wearing Paco Rabanne in 1968.
Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
At just 18, she quickly became an icon of 1960s style. Best known for her thick, eye-dusting bangs and androgynous dressing, Hardy’s look became synonymous with effortless French style. She was an early adopter of the miniskirt and became a model for fashion designers including Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne.
She embraced clean lines with tailored suiting looks including Saint Laurent’s tuxedos, or smokings as they are called in France, as well as tougher denim and leather looks that embodied the rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic of the time.
“The tall, tall girl with long, long hair and mini miniskirt” is how WWD described her in an interview with the singer in 1966. Then 22 years old, Hardy had already sold 13 million records and become cemented in the fashion industry. WWD accompanied her on a shopping trip to the house of YSL to select looks for upcoming appearances and a promotional trip to the U.S.
In 1969, Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo took inspiration from Hardy’s song when naming her line Comme des Garçons.
Elsa Martinelli, Francoise Hardy, Catherine Deneuve and Zizi Jeanmaire attend the Yves Saint-Laurent spring ready-to-wear show in 1967.
AFP via Getty Images
Hardy has been photographed by Richard Avedon, David Bailey and William Klein, and appeared on screen in Roger Vadim’s “Nutty, Naughty Chateau,” Jean-Luc Godard’s “Masculine Feminine” and John Frankenheimer’s “Grand Prix,” among others.
The singer became an international muse for musicians of the time, including David Bowie and Bob Dylan, who dedicated a poem to her in his 1964 album “Another Side of Bob Dylan.” Mick Jagger declared her his “ideal woman.”
Last year, Hardy was the only French singer to land on Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.
Hardy had long suffered from cancer. She was first diagnosed with lymphoma in 2004, and throat cancer in 2019. She underwent several rounds of radiotherapy, and lost hearing in one ear as a result. In recent years, she became an advocate for euthanasia.