One of France’s best-loved singer-songwriters, Françoise Hardy has passed away at the age of 80, having left her mark as a leading cultural icon of the Swinging Sixties. Hardy’s death was announced by her son, who wrote “Maman est partie…” beneath a picture of himself as a baby with his dearly departed mother, who fought a long battle with laryngeal cancer.

Hardy’s singing career took off in 1962 with her debut LP, which included her breakthrough hit ‘Tous les garçons et les filles’. A year later, Hardy represented Monaco in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in fifth place with ‘L’amour s’en va’.

Hardy’s illustrious career spanned six decades, in which time she released 28 albums in four different languages, modelled for Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, and inspired the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. A multitalented artist, Hardy also dazzled on the silver screen.

Sympathies poured in on social networks following the announcement of Hardy’s passing. “How do I say goodbye? The eternal Françoise Hardy, legend of French song, who entered, through her sensitivity and her melodies, into the heart of an entire country,” French culture minister Rachida Dati wrote on X, adding that “I send my warmest thoughts to her son Thomas Dutronc, his family and those close to him.”

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Featured image: Françoise Hardy captured in Amsterdam by Joost Evers in 1969