Anyone outside of the French speaking world has probably never heard of Johnny Hallyday, and before I arrived in France, I had never heard of Johnny Hallyday either. However once you have set a couple of roots down in this country, it is impossible to escape the hype around Johnny Hallyday.
Who is Johnny Hallyday I hear you ask? In a nutshell he is the French version of Elvis. BUT! He differs from Elvis in quite a few ways.
First of all, he is still alive (which is more than I can say for 'The King'). Secondly, he is not particularly fat. Thirdly he sings in French. And finally he actually has the ability to act. (Sorry Elvis fans) Johnny is easily the biggest celebrity in France and his face is constantly plastered over magazines.
He is starting to get on a bit in the age department, (as he was born in 1943. This year he will be 67), however age has not stopped him from rocking on, dying his hair blonde, and having a few facelifts.
He became famous in France in the 60's by singing rock & roll songs in French. Since then his career has skyrocketd (at least in France) and has continued almost unabated until today. If you can't find something to talk about with a French person, just ask them what they think about Johnny Hallyday. A word of warning though, if you are going to do this, be prepared to be talked at for the next hour. Everyone has an opinion on him.
He has been quite prolific, in a musical sense. Since 1960 Johnny has released 45 studio albums and 26 live albums. Off the stage he has been prolific also, having been married 4 times, with 3 children, all of whom are famous in their own right.
In a testament to his on-going popularity, last year on Bastille Day, Johnny gave a free concert in the Champs des Mars, in front of the Eifell Tower, which was attended by an estimated 700,000 people.
A large shadow was cast over the French nation in November 2009. Johnny was the lead story on every news show and on the front page of
every newspaper as his deteriorating health was beamed all over France. For a week, France held its breath while Johnny was in an induced coma in a Los Angeles hospital following a botched operation to repair a herniated disc in his back following an earlier operation after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Fanatical Johnny Hallyday fans (of which there are many in France) made death threats against the doctor who botched Johnny's initial surgery.
Johnny was brought out of his coma after 3 days (much to the relief of the entire nation) and recovered well. Indeed since this Johnny has begun legal proceedings against the doctor.
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