Latest news with #Fiori
Hamilton Spectator
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Quebec bids farewell to singer Serge Fiori during national funeral in Montreal
MONTREAL - Thousands of people gathered at Montreal's Place des Arts on Tuesday for the national funeral of legendary singer-songwriter Serge Fiori. Fiori, the co-founder of the influential French-Canadian rock band Harmonium, died on June 24 at age 73. His family accepted the Quebec government's offer to help organize his funeral, which took the form of a musical celebration at Montreal's premier arts venue. Politicians, performers and the public packed Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in downtown Montreal for a musical final bow that was broadcast live on Radio-Canada and the LCN network. Fiori left his mark on Quebec's musical world with Harmonium and beyond, including as a duo with musician Richard Séguin and through solo projects. Premier François Legault, who took part in the event, recalled listening to Harmonium's first album in 1974 as a 16-year-old, saying Fiori 'made our lives more beautiful.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
Ottawa Citizen
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Serge Fiori's national funeral celebrates his life, his music and his dream for Quebec
Article content The national funeral for Serge Fiori Tuesday afternoon at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts was much more than a funeral. It was actually a full-scale tribute concert in honour of the iconic Québécois singer-songwriter and co-founder of the much-loved progressive-rock band Harmonium. Article content But it wasn't just a concert, either. It was a heartfelt homage to the man and the musician from a slew of homegrown stars, almost all of whom had either worked with him or were good friends of his. In the end, this magical, nearly two-hour event was a nostalgic love letter to a time — Harmonium's heyday in the mid-1970s — when Fiori and millions of other Quebecers dreamed of someday creating their own country. Article content Article content Fiori, a Montrealer with Italian roots, never wavered in his support of the independence movement and for fighting for the French language ici, even though his songs never explicitly referenced such matters. He died on June 24, Quebec's Fête nationale, at the age of 73. Article content Many on stage Tuesday underlined his commitment to Quebec, starting with Premier François Legault, who was one of the first speakers. He said he wore out his copy of the first Harmonium album as a teenager in 1974. Article content 'He made us more proud to be Québécois,' said Legault. Article content Article content Former Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume, a friend of Fiori, said the two agreed on everything except hockey. Labeaume was a Quebec Nordiques fan, Fiori a fervent fan of les Canadiens. Article content 'You would never accept us saying 'no,'' said Labeaume, clearly referring to Fiori's position on the two referendum campaigns. 'And that, we're going to remember.' Article content Article content Article content Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon — who, at 48, is much younger than Harmonium's original boomer fans — said before Tuesday's event that Fiori spoke for a generation, and that it was always about much more than music with the singer-songwriter. Article content 'The generation before mine, the people who lived through the golden era of Harmonium, it's almost like a cult,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'So it's the celebration of a genius. But it's also recognizing someone who was the opening act for René Lévesque.' Article content That's a reference to Harmonium's trip with the first Parti Québécois premier to California in 1978 to promote Quebec and the band. Article content 'They went to California to talk about Quebec and independence,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'In one of (Fiori's) last interviews, he said that if we don't deliver this project (of independence), Quebec culture has no future.'
Montreal Gazette
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Serge Fiori's national funeral celebrates his life, his music and his dream for Quebec
Music By The national funeral for Serge Fiori Tuesday afternoon at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts was much more than a funeral. It was actually a full-scale tribute concert in honour of the iconic Québécois singer-songwriter and co-founder of the much-loved progressive-rock band Harmonium. But it wasn't just a concert, either. It was a heartfelt homage to the man and the musician from a slew of homegrown stars, almost all of whom had either worked with him or were good friends of his. In the end, this magical, nearly two-hour event was a nostalgic love letter to a time — Harmonium's heyday in the mid-1970s — when Fiori and millions of other Quebecers dreamed of someday creating their own country. Fiori, a Montrealer with Italian roots, never wavered in his support of the independence movement and for fighting for the French language ici, even though his songs never explicitly referenced such matters. He died on June 24, Quebec's Fête nationale, at the age of 73. Many on stage Tuesday underlined his commitment to Quebec, starting with Premier François Legault, who was one of the first speakers. He said he wore out his copy of the first Harmonium album as a teenager in 1974. 'He made us more proud to be Québécois,' said Legault. Former Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume, a friend of Fiori, said the two agreed on everything except hockey. Labeaume was a Quebec Nordiques fan, Fiori a fervent fan of les Canadiens. 'You would never accept us saying 'no,'' said Labeaume, clearly referring to Fiori's position on the two referendum campaigns. 'And that, we're going to remember.' Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon — who, at 48, is much younger than Harmonium's original boomer fans — said before Tuesday's event that Fiori spoke for a generation, and that it was always about much more than music with the singer-songwriter. 'The generation before mine, the people who lived through the golden era of Harmonium, it's almost like a cult,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'So it's the celebration of a genius. But it's also recognizing someone who was the opening act for René Lévesque.' That's a reference to Harmonium's trip with the first Parti Québécois premier to California in 1978 to promote Quebec and the band. 'They went to California to talk about Quebec and independence,' said St-Pierre Plamondon. 'In one of (Fiori's) last interviews, he said that if we don't deliver this project (of independence), Quebec culture has no future.' Fiori famously turned down a million-dollar offer from CBS Records for Harmonium to re-record its songs in English, but even though he only ever sang in the language of Charlebois, the band was popular right across Canada, selling out 3,000-seat theatres from coast to coast at the height of its fame in the 1970s. Montreal's CHOM was the first radio station to play Harmonium, oddly enough before any French-language stations here, and turned on a whole generation of anglophones to the band. Former CHOM morning man Terry DiMonte, who was at the funeral, became friends later in life with Fiori. DiMonte wasn't working at CHOM when they started playing Harmonium, but hearing their folky, melodic progressive rock opened his ears to a whole other world of music. 'When I was a kid and was beginning to get into music and first heard Harmonium, I thought: 'Wow, there's bands of the calibre of the bands I'm listening to from Britain and the United States right here in our backyard,'' said DiMonte. 'That in turn introduced me to, 'Oh, wait a minute, there's a whole Quebec culture, television, radio, actors, musicians… .' And I think for my generation, he was at the forefront of that and had a massive impact not just in Quebec, but across the country. It was his personality, his passion and his ability to write music that spoke to people. 'At a time when progressive rock was at its peak in Quebec with Supertramp; Yes; Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Genesis, he stuck his hand up and said: 'Hey, wait a minute, I can do this, too, from a Quebec point of view.' The songs are very powerful and the melodies are McCartney-like. Language wasn't a barrier. People bought into the music because the music's so good.' There was a lot of talk about Fiori's dream of a Quebec nation during Tuesday's funeral/concert, but of course it was also about music and celebrating the life of a man who elicited so much love. The event began with a poetic monologue from actor Luc Picard, then seven acoustic guitarists — including Michel Rivard and Richard Séguin — came on strumming. Then members of Harmonium appeared on stage, minus Michel Normandeau, who is in Paris. They performed a moving rendition of Histoires sans paroles. Séguin sang Ça fait du bien, from the 1978 album Deux cents nuits à l'heure, made by Séguin and Fiori. Radio and TV host Normand Brathwaite talked of how he and Fiori both suffered from serious anxiety, a problem that stopped Fiori from performing for the last 40 years of his life. The finale had author and rapper Sébastien Fréchette, a.k.a. Biz, taking the stage to announce that Fiori's last project was a new version of the Harmonium classic Un musicien parmi tant d'autres, a work in progress with 11 Indigenous artists from Quebec. Then Indigenous singer-songwriter Mathieu McKenzie led everyone on stage in an inspiring rendition of the song, which appeared to end the show. All on stage turned their backs to the audience and looked up at a giant photo of Fiori, and they were startled when suddenly the thousands in the crowd began singing an a cappella version of the Harmonium anthem. It was perfect. It was as if le peuple took possession of Fiori's music.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quebec bids farewell to singer Serge Fiori during national funeral in Montreal
MONTREAL – Thousands of people gathered at Montreal's Place des Arts on Tuesday for the national funeral of legendary singer-songwriter Serge Fiori. Fiori, the co-founder of the influential French-Canadian rock band Harmonium, died on June 24 at age 73. His family accepted the Quebec government's offer to help organize his funeral, which took the form of a musical celebration at Montreal's premier arts venue. Politicians, performers and the public packed Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in downtown Montreal for a musical final bow that was broadcast live on Radio-Canada and the LCN network. Fiori left his mark on Quebec's musical world with Harmonium and beyond, including as a duo with musician Richard Séguin and through solo projects. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Premier François Legault, who took part in the event, recalled listening to Harmonium's first album in 1974 as a 16-year-old, saying Fiori 'made our lives more beautiful.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
PGA Tour winner famous for beating Tiger Woods sadly dies after cancer battle
The PGA Tour have confirmed that Ed Fiori, a four-time winner on the tour, has sadly died at the age of 72 after a battle with cancer in a statement on their website Golf icon Ed Fiori has sadly passed away at the age of 72 following a battle with cancer. The sad news about Fiori, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, was confirmed via the tour on their website. Among Fiori's victories was his triumph in the 1996 Quad City Classic, which is now known as the John Deere Classic. In winning the tournament, he defeated a young Tiger Woods in the final round, denying the American what would have been his maiden tour victory. Miller Brady, the PGA Tour Champions president, paid tribute to Fiori during the final round of the John Deere Classic on Sunday. He said: "Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro's pro. "In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. READ MORE: 'I had to give Tiger Woods a major talking to on the golf course – we didn't speak for five holes' "That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end. "He will be missed by all of us at the Tour." After hitting 50, Fiori only played 58 times on the senior circuit, winning the 2004 MasterCard Classic in Mexico following a play-off with Graham Marsh. Sadly, back issues eventually led to him undergoing spinal fusion surgery in 2005 which prevented him from featuring more often on the PGA TOUR Champions. "I hung on for a few more years, and played for a while on the senior tour, but my back was always a problem," Fiori told back in 2019. "I had spinal fusion surgery in 2005, and from then on, I struggled to break 80. "Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've had a great life in a game I love. It was never easy. Lots of times, I was on that flight heading home on Friday nights," he said. "But I would not trade it for anything. Even today, people call me the Tiger killer. They don't always get their facts straight, but I don't mind. I'll never forget that weekend at the John Deere."
