Who was Jacques Brel’s father? Her daughter France responded and confided that the artist was not interested in her or her sisters…
We know the artist, but we don’t always know the man, and even less the father. Some stars open up about their family and their relationship with their children. Black M, for example, spoke about the prematurity of his baby. Julien Doré spoke of the shock of fatherhood and even his desire for adoption. But other generations have been less talkative about their offspring. We can currently see Jean-Jacques Goldman’s son, Michael, director of the star Academy. He also paid tribute to his father by choosing one of his songs for the anthem of the 2023 season.
But what about another icon of French song, Jacques Brel? His youngest daughter, France Brel, was on the set of It starts today this Monday, December 18. She was alongside other celebrities close to her: the sister of the Bogdanoff twins, the grandson of Jean Gabin and the grandson of Tino Rossi. She gave rare confidences about her childhood and the relationship she had with the interpreter of Do not leave me.
The rest after this ad
What father was Jacques Brel to his daughter France?
The theme of the program broadcast on France 2 was Legacy of stars, how to keep their memory alive?. In 1981, a few years after the death of Jacques Brel, his daughter France created the Brel foundation in his memory. Today, she was asked about the father of this legend of French song, and her answer was somewhat surprising. She said: “That didn’t interest him at all!”. She has two other sisters, Isabelle and Chantal, and paternity seemed “heavy” for Jacques Brel.
“It was heavy to say to himself that he had children because, in fact, his way when he was younger was to say to himself: ‘What am I going to do on this planet?’”. Above all, he didn’t want to grow old or become an adult.“, she explains. France Brel summarizes: “Fatherhood being part of this happy broth… And so, he was very uncomfortable with that”.
A little embarrassed, Faustine Bollaert asked him if he was loving despite everything. “He wasn’t interested in us! He was interested in others…”, she then exclaimed. But she retains some very strong life lessons: “So, having a father, because what is having a father? (…) I think that in the paternal role, there is something very important, it is the model”. And Jacques Brel instilled a lot in her, according to her: “I believe that a father can show something in his own way, and in a different way for everyone. And in this sense, he was an extraordinary father because he showed me the fact that in life, you have to want, not count on anyone and do it!”.
Editor for Aufeminin since 2022, Charlotte is passionate about cinema, French and international, and a fortune reader. Curious about everything, she talks as much about personalities as…