Singer and actress Nicole Croisille dies at 88

She was a voice of French song in the 1970s, but also an actress and dancer. Nicole Croisille died in Paris during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, at the age of 88, "following a long illness," her agent announced to AFP on Wednesday, June 4. "Until the end, she fought with great strength and courage," Jacques Metges emphasized.

Born on October 9, 1936 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Nicole Croisille began her artistic career as a dancer, first in the ballet of the Comédie-Française, which she joined at the age of 17. Three years later, she landed the lead role in L'Apprenti fakir , a musical comedy by Jean Marais. In 1958, she joined Joséphine Baker 's troupe. She left for the United States where she deepened her passion for jazz, and released her first 45 rpm in 1961, an adaptation of Ray Charles.

In total, he has produced around twenty studio albums. His meeting with the filmmaker Claude Lelouch and the composer Francis Lai in 1966 was decisive. The "dabadabada" would lead him to the director's credits ( Living for Living , Les uns et les autres , Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté , Il y a des jours et des lunes) .

From 1970 to 1980, the hits followed one after the other: " Parlez moi de lui " (1973), "Une femme avec toi" (1975) and "Téléphone-moi" (1975). "I only sang love songs and I know what I brought to people," said this convinced single woman, without husband or children, to Paris Match in 2017.

Nicole Croisille had, towards the end of her career, left singing aside to return to the stage in Parisian theaters. In 2019, she played a former dancer and ex-mistress of a wealthy antique dealer in Sacha Guitry's dark comedy Don't Listen, Ladies !, alongside Michel Sardou.

"I'm having a blast ! At my age, I only like challenges !" she joked just before her 83rd birthday.