Grégory Lemarchal

Grégory Jean-Paul Lemarchal

In November 2007, Lemarchal's sister Leslie, published "Mon frère, l'artiste" ("My brother, the artist", Michel Lafon Editions)", a collection of photographs of Lemarchal and whose copyright is paid to the Association Grégory Lemarchal.

Later that same year, the production and contestants of Star Academy paid tribute to Lemarchal in a show entitled "La voix d'un ange". The show raised 6.3 million euros for the Association Grégory Lemarchal.

• Lemarchal was born in La Tronche, Isère to Pierre Lemarchal and Laurence who also had a daughter named Leslie.
• At twenty months of age, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition which affects the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestine.

In response to the loss of their beloved son and brother, Grégory's family founded the Association Grégory Lemarchal on 7 June 2007. The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of cystic fibrosis sufferers and their families by providing information, funding research, and increasing public awareness of cystic fibrosis. The Association Grégory Lemarchal has funded many activities, including aid and assistance to patients and their families affected by cystic fibrosis with the purpose of improving their quality of life.

Legacy

13 May 1983 – 30 April 2007

French singer

Growing up near Chambéry, Lemarchal enjoyed sports such as basketball and football, and even considered becoming involved in sport journalism .In 1998, Lemarchal auditioned for a talent show, Graines de stars, by singing a solo rendition of Daniel Balavoine's "Le Chanteur", as well as performing in a trio with two other contestants singing "Foule sentimentale" by Alain Souchon. This initial attempt failed, but helped to catapult him into fame and turned him into a local celebrity as a result of his brilliant performance in the show.

On 4 May 2007, a special television programme was broadcast on TF1 to commemorate his life, entitled "Grégory : La voix d'un ange" it reached an audience of more than 10.5 million viewers and there was an appeal for donations to raise funds to fight cystic fibrosis[14] and help progress research into finding a cure. To date, more than 7.5 million Euro has been raised for cystic fibrosis causes in his memory.

A controversy emerged following his demise when Frédéric Martin, a comedian, was fined 4,000 euros including 2,000 in damages, to be paid to Lemarchal's family. Martin had referred to Lemarchal by the name of his illness on national television.

In March 2005, Lemarchal released his debut single, "Écris l'histoire", which peaked at number 2 in the French Singles Chart and was only held off the number 1 spot by Ilona Mitrecey's "Un Monde Parfait".The single spent a total of 21 weeks in the chart and went platinum. Soon after, he released his highly anticipated first album, Je deviens moi, which debuted at number 1 and was certified platinum. The second single of the album was "Je suis en vie".

Death

In 2007, Lemarchal announced that his health was deteriorating and that he had been ordered by doctors to take a few weeks off to recuperate. On the morning of 30 April 2007, he died of complications while waiting in hospital for a lung transplant, he had been just two weeks shy of his 24 birthday. The death of Lemarchal had news headlines for an entire week and more than five thousand fans arrived in Chambéry on the day of his funeral to pay their respects.

• De Temps En Temps

• Envole-Moi

• Il N'y a Qu'un Pas

• Je Suis En Vie

• Je T'écris

• Le bonheur tout simplement

• Même si (What you're made of)

• Mon ange

• Restons amis

• S.O.S. D'un Terrien En Detresse

• Je deviens moi

• Tu Prends... etc.