Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori dies at 73
By La Presse Canadienne
Singer-songwriter Serge Fiori, founder of the band Harmonium, died Tuesday at the age of 73.
His manager at GSI Musique, Serge Grimaux, confirmed the news on social media.
'It is with great regret that we inform you that in the early hours of this Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Serge Fiori passed away from the consequences of a long illness,' he wrote in a statement.
'Serge left us as he lived, with that legendary smile that shone on all those who knew him, all those to whom he brought immense joy, and on this country that was his, in his heart and in his eternal passion,' he added.
L'Étoile du Lac was the first media outlet to report the news of his death at his home in Lac-Saint-Jean. Born in Montreal in 1952, Fiori was immersed in music from a young age, as his father was the leader of a dance band.
His musical career truly took off in 1974 with the release of the self-titled album 'Harmonium.' The song 'Pour un instant' would become a classic of Quebec music.
The group would only release two more albums — 'Si on avait besoin d'une cinque saison' and 'L'Heptade' — before disbanding.
This didn't end Fiori's career, however. In 1977, he wrote the song 'Duodadieu' with Luc Plamondon and François Cousineau. He recorded it as a duet with Diane Dufresne. He also collaborated in 1978 with Richard Séguin on the album 'Deux cents nuits à l'heure,' which received numerous awards at the very first ADISQ gala held the following year.
The singer-songwriter's career has been marked by several hiatuses and returns to the stage.
Fiori was named a Knight of the National Order of Quebec at the last insignia ceremony on June 18. He was absent from the event.
A wave of tributes
Serge Fiori's legacy on Quebec was highlighted by several politicians shortly after the announcement of his death.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, notably called him a 'true ambassador of Quebec culture.'
'Serge Fiori was an immense lyricist and melodist. The melodies of his songs have accompanied us for over 50 years and will continue to do so in the future,' he commented on the social network X.
'There have been many great artists in Quebec. But greats of Serge Fiori's stature are few. Harmonium's three albums will outlive us all. This is eternal music, deeply human and contemporary,' wrote Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal on X.
Tributes were also numerous from the cultural community.
Singer Bruno Pelletier recounted in a Facebook post that it was thanks to him that he 'wanted to start playing guitar after the drums, and to want to write in French as a teenager.'
Singer Laurence Jalbert thanked him 'for everything you left us.' The band Salbarbes paid him a poetic tribute on Facebook, emphasizing that 'we listened to Harmonium's songs as a catalyst for our identity.'
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 3:48 PM.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Legendary Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori to receive national funeral
Serge Fiori, founder of the rock band Harmonium speaks during an interview in Montreal, Tuesday, November 15, 2016, during the launch of L'Heptade XL, a remastered, remixed version of the band's 1976 double album L'Heptade. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) A national funeral will be held in honour of Quebec singer-songwriter Serge Fiori, who died Tuesday at the age of 73. Quebec Premier François Legault made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, saying the funeral will be held 'in the form of a national tribute ceremony' in accordance with the family's wishes. En accord avec les souhaits exprimés par la famille et les proches, Serge Fiori aura droit à des funérailles nationales sous forme de cérémonie d'hommage national. Le drapeau du Québec sera mis en berne, de l'aube au crépuscule, sur la tour principale de l'hôtel du Parlement le… — François Legault (@francoislegault) June 27, 2025 The Quebec flag will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on the main tower of the Quebec legislature building on the day of the ceremony, Legault added. The date and location of the ceremony have not yet been announced. A book of condolences is now available online to allow people to express their sympathies to the family of the late singer, who founded the band Harmonium. Legault said in a statement that Fiori's death was 'an immense loss' for Quebec, 'We will pay him a national tribute worthy of his legacy,' Legault said. Fiori's musical career took off in 1974 with the release of the eponymous album Harmonium. The song Pour un instant became a classic of Quebec music. The group released only two other albums—Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison and L'Heptade—before splitting up, but they left a lasting mark on Quebec's cultural landscape. With files from The Canadian Press
Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Insults and threats disrupt Gilbert Rozon trial
By La Presse Canadienne This story includes details that some readers might find disturbing. Gilbert Rozon's civil trial for sexual assault was disrupted Thursday by a rare display that saw one of his nine accusers take him on during a recess. 'But what is he made of to lie like that?' Danie Frenette asked, calling him an 'a--hole,' in the middle of the court, after Rozon had denied the allegations from both Frenette and her daughter-in-law, comedian Salomé Corbo. 'No class,' Rozon mumbled as he left the room. Having left the room, Frenette's husband and Salomé Corbo's father, Stefano Corbo, allegedly pulled on Rozon's ear before grabbing his throat to threaten him. Passing by reporters, Rozon said he had been 'insulted in plain court. I made my testimony. I took the oath. I said the truth. The allegations are implausible.' Back in front of Judge Chantal Tremblau, Rozon said Corbo had held his throat and sworn at him, threatening to strangle and suffocate him. His lawyer, Mélanie Morin, said she witnessed the incident, which she told the judge concerned her. Tremblay then called Stefano Corbo to the witness box to bar him from the chamber, telling him he could follow the rest of the procedures virtually. She then suspended the hearing early for lunch. Rozon had previously denied Frenette's allegations that he had raped her twice and groped her, first in his home during a party marking the end of the 1988 edition of the Just For Laughs festival. Frenette had been hired to manage the street arts component of the event. According to Frenette's testimony, Rozon took her to a wooded area of his property before removing her windbreaker, lying her on the ground and raping her. Rozon called it 'completely unrealistic,' that he would have commited the act in front of guests, adding that 'there were never woods on my property,' and that he didn't even remember having seen her that evening. He also denied having groped her on a park bench on Île-Ste-Hélène, testifying he had never been there with her. He also denied the second alleged rape, in which Frenette said he'd arrived at her door in the night, telling her to open it. 'I never went to her home,' Rozon said. 'I never had sexual relations with her,' he said, responding to a recording in which she said she'd had consensual relations with Rozon in later years. Salomé Corbo, who isn't a plantiff in the case, but testified, told the court that she had been only 13 when Rozon trapped her in a staircase, also during an end-of-festival party, and inserted his finger in her vagina. As a teenager, she'd obtained her first job in 1989 as a host of one of the festival's kiosks. 'Put my finger in her vagina? That's unbelievably vulgar,' Rozon said, denying the accusation. He accused her of making up the testimony 'because she's Danie Frenette's daughter-in-law.' Corbo had also affirmed before the court that around 11 years later, in 2001, he'd called her an 'ostie d'agace' (colloquially, a f--king tease) during a meeting in a bar after a strap had slipped off her shoulder. 'I don't talk like that,' Rozon said. The trial was set to resume in the afternoon. A long legal process The nine women are suing Rozon for around $14 million for alleged sexual assaults. The lawsuit brought by Patricia Tulasne, Lyne Charlebois, Anne-Marie Charrette, Annick Charrette, Sophie Moreau, Frenette, Guylaine Courcelles, Mary Sicari and Martine Roy follows a 2017 class-action suit from a group of women calling themselves Les Courageuses ('the Courageous'). First allowed in 2018, Rozon succeeded in asking the Court of Appeal to reject the authorization in 2020. At the same time, 14 women had complained to police, but the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions only retained Annick Charette's complaint. Rozon was aquitted in 2020 on the basis of reasonable doubt. Tulasne, who had been the spokesperson for Les Courageuses, was the first to launch a civil suit against Rozon in April 2021. The eight other women followed and the lawsuits were grouped together into a trial that began in December and has been interrupted many times as a result of legal debates. So far, 42 witnesses have testified, including nine plantiffs and seven other women who include Julie Snyder, Salomé Corbo, Pénélope McQuade and Gilbert Rozon's ex-wife, Véronique Moreau, who all say Rozon sexually abused them.
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Kelly: Revered Quebec singer Serge Fiori was loved by both solitudes
Article content He didn't write all that much music in the 40-plus years since L'Heptade, but when he did, like for his very good solo album from 2014, it was as great as ever and became a huge hit. Article content After he died on June 24, the day of La Fête de la Saint-Jean, so many online were talking about the heavy symbolism of him leaving us on Quebec's national holiday. He was as loved as any contemporary Québécois artist and was a tireless defender of the French language and culture here right up to the end of his life. Article content Given all that, it's quite the rich irony that the local French-language music biz here was initially cool to Harmonium. I've met and interviewed Fiori many times over the years and he often told the story of how French radio in Montreal wasn't into the band in the early days. The first station to play Pour un instant was CHOM, and because of that Fiori always had a soft spot for the anglo classic-rock station. Article content Article content The band also signed with a Toronto-based disco label, rather than with any of the Montreal record companies. They often toured Canada to packed venues and even played throughout California, opening for Supertramp. Article content Article content Article content I asked him how it was that English-Canadians were so into Harmonium. Article content 'I don't know, but it was the first time a (Quebec) band was going there, all through Canada, with nights and nights booked in every city,' Fiori said. 'You'd go on stage and there's like 3,000 people at the Orpheum in Vancouver. And they sing the words in French, and that's very rare.' Article content The record company CBS offered to pay him to re-record the Harmonium songs in the language of Lennon and he turned them down. That day in the fall of 2022, I asked him why he said 'no'. Article content Article content 'Cause I'm nuts,' he said with a laugh. 'First of all, there's something about writing rock 'n' roll in French that is extremely hard. It's pretty easy in English. It sounds good with nothing. Once you get it (in French), it's so profound. The song is so amazing, so even translating that in English, for me it wouldn't work… and I think if I would have done that, Quebec would have turned against me.' Article content He said the reaction in Western Canada was exactly the same as it was here in Quebec — people just adored Harmonium. They told him they didn't care what language the songs were in, 'It was just the music.' Article content Article content He recalled travelling to Toronto with the band to meet with the executives at Quality Records and on the spot the label gave them five grand to make an album in Montreal, something no local label was willing to do. Article content 'We were too weird (for the Montreal record companies),' Fiori said. Article content But so accessible as well, you touched the heart of everyone, said Borne. Article content 'Yeah, but they didn't believe that,' Fiori said. Article content To which I chimed in, 'proving my theory that the vast majority of these record-company people know nothing.' Article content 'Thank you very much,' Fiori said quietly. Article content Then he started laughing. Article content
