Michel Berger is known for his lasting relationship with France Gall. However, he was initially the lover of Véronique Sanson. A relationship that left him with deep scars. The Objeko team tells you more in this article.
Michel Berger: musical prodigy
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Michel Berger’s death. It’s been 30 years since the legendary singer and songwriter left behind millions of tearful fans after an accidental death at the age of just 44. While he was in full glory, the great singer and composer suffered a heart attack after a tennis match in his villa in Ramatuelle, in the Var. The news is a shock, and he receives well-deserved national tributes.
Michel Jean Hamburger, known as Michel Berger, was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1947. This music enthusiast began his career very early. He started as a singer in 1963, when he was only 16 years old. At 19, he is already on the “photo of the century” bringing together the biggest stars of the yéyé movement. It was then that he rubbed shoulders with a star in full glory: Véronique Sanson.
Michel Berger and Véronique Sanson: a relationship that left him “at the bottom of the hole”
Michel Berger and Véronique Sanson did not stay very long. However, this marked a real step in the sentimental life of the singer. It was indeed his first media relationship. However, overnight, the couple separated. We then know very little about the reasons for this sudden rupture. However, Yves Bigot, biographer of the singer, teaches us more in his book released this Friday, March 18. According to him, Véronique Sanson would have left the marital home pretending to go buy cigarettes and would never have returned.
Photographer Jean-Marie Périer, a friend of the singer, provided a snapshot representing him sitting in the corner of a room, looking pensive. He gives us further details on the sequence of events: “Véronique Sanson had gone to the USA to find Stephen Stills, Michel was at the bottom of the hole. He wasn’t the fickle type, so being left had crushed him. And as I liked him, his pain had touched me. I had taken this photo to illustrate his sadness. Okay that was elementary, but at least it clearly described the situation.”. Fortunately, Michel Berger quickly found a new muse: France Galle.
Love found with France Gall
Michel Berger and France Gall have benefited from each other’s talent, in addition to having shared their lives. The composer relaunched her career with the hit The declaration of love in 1974. The two lovebirds married two years later.
Michel Berger is very successful in duet with France Gall but also in solo. We owe him, among other things, hits such as La groupie du pianiste, or Chanter pour ces qui est loin de chez chez moi. He is also one of the pioneers of French musical comedy, notably with Starmania. Michel Berger formed a long and lasting couple with France Gall, from their marriage in 1976 until his death in 1992. At least, that’s the official version.
A dysfunctional couple behind the scenes
The singer with such a singular voice did not have the reputation of being a sulphurous man. This reputation followed her to her grave, notably with her close associates and her widow keeping watch.
However, behind the scenes, all was not well. Jean-Marie Périer, who was a photographer for Salut les Copains and who shared the life of France Gall a few months after the death of Michel Berger, thus revealed that the couple had not been unofficially together for at least four years. Their relationship was therefore, according to him, totally mediatic. It must be said that their careers were greatly intertwined, and that it was better to put on a good face. Many tensions had erupted between The singer and his muse, just a few weeks before his death. This is also part of the elements reported concerning the causes of his heart attack at such a young age. France Gall never wanted to confirm or deny these statements during her lifetime. The singer left us in 2018.
Beatrice Grimm: last companion of Michel Berger
Michel Berger and France Gall therefore remained married until the dramatic death of the singer. However, it seems that the two were on the verge of divorce. In addition to a detailed return on his life, we also learn about his relationship with Beatrice Grimm, a German model and apprentice singer. Beatrice met Michel Berger in the United States, during an audition for the English version of Starmania. It is immediately love at first sight between the two, who are dating in secret. Shortly before his terrible cardiac arrest, Michel even thinks of going to live in the United States with his new partner. However, he didn’t have time. Yves Bigot considers her as his true widow. She subsequently kept their relationship a secret, and led a life in the shadows. Without Yves Bigot to reveal the doldrums to us, we might never have known of its existence…
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