«Adieu, Karl Tremblay»

Laughter, tears and nostalgia. Thousands of Cowboys Fringants fans paid a final tribute to singer Karl Tremblay Tuesday evening at the Bell Center, following a national ceremony of a scale never before seen for a deceased artist.

“The thing we are most afraid of forgetting about the people we lose is their voice. But I think that Karl’s, we will hear for a long time,” said Marie-Annick Lépine in a frail voice, to thunderous applause.

The violinist of the group, who had been his partner for more than 20 years, confided that Karl Tremblay had suffered martyrdom for several weeks before taking his last breath. But the singer, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, refused to complain, and wanted to fight as long as possible for their two young daughters, she said.

The 14,000 admirers who gathered at the Bell Center to honor the memory of Karl Tremblay welcomed Marie-Annick Lépine and the two other members of the group with a three-minute ovation. Jean-François Pauzé and Jérôme Dupras also paid tribute to their friend, praising his great simplicity, his joy of living, his ability to bring people together and his deep love for Quebec.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the three members of Cowboys Fringants took out their instruments and sang their song On my shoulder, before the crowd began to sing along, giving rise to an emotional moment.

Journalists were not allowed inside the Bell Center, at the request of Karl Tremblay’s family. A decision which is not surprising, considering that the Cowboys Fringants managed to become the most popular group in the history of Quebec by bypassing the main media throughout their career.

Fans in mourning

However, the ceremony was broadcast on social networks and on a giant screen outside the arena. A few dozen admirers who had not been able to find tickets were able to follow the evening outside, despite the polar cold.

The free passes for this commemoration were sold out in about fifteen minutes last week. Some of these ticket holders were already hustling Tuesday afternoon in front of the Bell Center to get a seat as close to the stage as possible. Among them: Jacynthe Gauthier, her daughter, her niece and other family members. “The lyrics are deep. It tells us. Our lives, our families, our daily lives. It speaks to me,” she emphasized.

Hugo Lavoie was also one of the first to arrive near the Bell Center late in the afternoon. He felt a mixture of sadness and joy at the idea of ​​paying a final tribute to the singer of Cowboys Fringants. “He’s a big guy who just left. He rocked my youth. “It’s the least we can do to be here tonight,” he said. The Cowboys singer is of the same caliber as giants like Céline Dion and René Angélil, according to him.

Political tributes

Arriving at the ceremony, Prime Minister François Legault, for his part, highlighted the unifying songs of a Quebec group that marked its era. “We say goodbye to Karl Tremblay, a man who left his mark on Quebec. It’s incredible what we’ve seen since his death, a wave of love, of sadness. It’s as if millions of Quebecers had lost someone from their close family,” he said.

Member of Parliament for L’Assomption, where Karl Tremblay’s family lives, he said he was considering renaming the local disc golf course in honor of the singer. “Disc golf was his new passion. We are looking at what we can do to honor him, because he is a god in L’Assomption, Karl Tremblay,” said the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

The Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, said that his political commitment is undoubtedly due in part to the songs of Cowboys Fringants. Even the harshest towards the political class, like A berne. “It is a criticism of society which reminds us that we must always do more, that we must do better — and that we must defend Quebec first and foremost. »

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