On September 17, 1973, Joe Dassin was devastated by the premature loss of his first son, who died a few days after his birth. A tragedy that followed the singer throughout his life.
The trauma of a lifetime. Even if he died very young, a certain August 20, 1989, at only 41 years old, Joe Dassin had time to live at a mile an hour. European tours, cinema, trips to the four corners of the world… the singer has lived several lives. And this, even in his intimacy. While Joe Dassin chained the concerts, his wife, Maryse Grimaldi, aborted several times “for [pouvoir] continue to follow him on his many tours”according to the book Joe Dassin: Last Secrets. It was only on September 12, 1973 that his girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy named Joshua. Born very premature, the infant finally succumbed five days later, leaving behind both devastated parents.
Only four years later, certainly still touched by the tragedy, the couple made the decision to separate. Following his divorce, Joe Dassin rebuilt his life with Christine Delvaux, a merchant’s daughter whom he met in a nightclub in Courchevel during his winter vacation in 1976. Even if they lost sight of each other for almost a year, the two lovebirds did not miss their second chance, when they met again at the Castle. Determined and more in love than ever, Joe Dassin and Christine Delvaux first had a secret relationship before revealing themselves to the general public by announcing their marriage in January 1978. Still haunted by the tragic loss of his son Joshua, the singer nevertheless managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a dad. Indeed, the interpreter of “And if you did not exist” attended the birth of another little boy, Jonathan, on September 14, 1978, at the American hospital in Neuilly. Two years later, the small family residing in Feucherolles grew again by welcoming another child named Julien.
Like father, like son
Now, the two children have grown up well. Indeed, Jonathan and Julien have become adults and continue to honor the memory of their two parents who died very young. Twenty years after the disappearance of his father, the eldest thus declared to the Parisian it was “incredibly proud, touched and amazed by the public’s enthusiasm for Joe, forty years later”. Today, Jonathan Dassin follows in his father’s footsteps as he perpetuated the musical passion within the family by becoming an author, composer and performer. For his part, Julien has diversified. Singer but also actor, the youngest “brings Joe’s repertoire to life” for many years by performing concerts in several Eastern European countries.