Recently interviewed by Le Parisien on the occasion of the next exhibition event devoted to Johnny Hallyday, Jean-Claude Camus, his producer, made new revelations about the habits and last hours of his friend.
Jean-Claude Camus, producer of Johnny Hallyday for 35 years, was very moved during the interview with Parisian. Indeed, on the occasion of the next exhibition event dedicated to the late rocker, the now retired man confided in his relationship with Johnny, but also on his habits in concert or even on the last hours of his life.
While Jean-Claude Camus thus plunged back into Johnny’s business, he confided with emotion: “It’s the Gucci suit he was wearing that night. It’s one of my favorite shows. Johnny was particularly handsome on screen and in great shape. There were one million spectators in Paris and 10.3 million viewers on TV. It was crazy !”he recalled.
Jean-Claude Camuse “We counted after”
The former producer then explained his role in this exhibition, so dear to his heart but also to that of Laeticia Hallyday, widow of Johnny: “I am the memory of Johnny, according to the expression of Laeticia. She didn’t know everything. And there have been so many false things written and said about Johnny. Thirty-five years is a lease. I try to bring my memories and expertise to this event.”
The Parisian journalist later asked him if he had kept any business from his friendship with Johnny, when he was his producer. Jean-Claude Camus then explained, pained: “The red ‘C’est la mort dans l’âme’ parka that I wore in the rain on September 4, 1998 when the first date at the Stade de France was canceled and that I found by chance in my country house Unfortunately, that’s all. When Johnny left me, for four years, I had a lot of pain and I gave everything. As for the concert sets, they were all destroyed under the supervision of bailiffs. It was too big and too expensive to keep. We were as crazy as each other when we launched shows. We imagined, we ordered and we counted after.“
Jean-Claude Camus “I told him he had to fill up”
The former producer then wanted to portray the materialistic and very conservative side of the most famous of French rockers, which people may not have known: “He kept everything, especially his light suits. They were always chosen with great care and they had an incredible effect on him. When he was very tired, he dressed up and became another man. It was a ritual, like eating before a concert. Even two hours late, he had to eat. I’ve never seen him hurry, much less run, even in the rush at an airport.”he confided, remembering.
Then came the time of a little more painful memory, of full emotion, of the last moments. The days leading up to the disappearance of his great friend. Jean-Claude Camus first explained how much this exhibition means to him. This will house Johnny’s office located in Marnes-la-Coquette, reconstructed identically. Which will bring back vivid memories to his former producer: “It will be a huge emotion for me. I spent so much time with him in his office in Marnes-la-Coquette. And that’s where I saw him for the last time, the Saturday night before he disappeared., three days later. He was really diminished. It was Laeticia who insisted: ‘It will make him happy’. I told him that he had to fill up because he still had vocals to do for his album. Him, his last sentence is: ‘You have a stain’. I hadn’t even seen it on my sweater, it was so tiny. But he was right.” he recalled fondly.
Johnny Hallyday will have known how to mark the memories, all of them, in particular those of his closest friends and collaborators. Although their paths diverged for a few years, Jean-Claude Camus and the interpreter of I promise you knew how to find each other so that, until Johnny’s last breath, they never left each other. A beautiful story of friendship.