Claude François

Along with Johnny Hallyday, Claude François was one of the biggest stars of French rock & roll, emerging during the so-called "yé-yé" movement of the early '60s. Like Hallyday, his early success came mostly from French adaptations of English-language rock and folk hits, rather than from original material written specifically for him. However, his image -- immaculately coiffed hair and glitzy sequined suits -- played just as big a role in his popularity, and made him a major teen idol in his heyday, when fans dubbed him "Clo-Clo." He dressed his much-imitated quartet of backup dancers, the Clodettes, in even more flamboyant costumes (some self-designed), which gave his act a definite kitsch appeal and became a visual signature for much of his career. Appropriately for the singer who recorded the original version of the song that became "My Way," François lived the outsized life of a star, cycling through a series of high-profile affairs and acquiring a reputation for being extremely difficult to work with. Despite continued popularity, he endured a run of bad personal luck in the '70s that culminated in his freak accidental death at only 39 years old, electrocuting himself in the bathtub while changing a light bulb. Claude Marie Antoine François was born on February 1, 1939 in Ismailia, Egypt, where his French-born father worked as a shipping traffic controller on the Suez Canal. His Italian-born mother encouraged him musically, getting him into violin and piano lessons; François preferred the drums, however. When Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, François and his family were repatriated to France, settling in Monte Carlo. His father fell seriously ill not long after, and François was forced to get a job and help support the family. He worked in a bank by day,...