British singer Roger Whittaker died at the age of 87 on Wednesday, September 13, while at his residence in the south of France, according to a press release sent this Tuesday by the family.
Roger Whittaker had worldwide success with his song Mexican Whistler, in which he showed his talent for whistling. She sang in both English, French and German.
Their songs My blue country, a rose for Isabelle and An elephant on my balcony They were appreciated by the Quebec public that the singer visited several times during his long career.
According Sun, the singer would have suffered a stroke. Still, according to British media, Whittaker wanted to be remembered as “someone who wrote good songs, the kind of songs we will listen to again and again.”
Mario Pelchat wanted to give him a gift
Mario Pelchat paid tribute to the deceased in 2016, with the presentation of my blue countryan album dedicated to the French-speaking work of the late singer to which several big names from Quebec have lent their voices.
“I was planning to go to France this year, first to meet him and then to give him the tribute album,” laments the Quebec singer, who in the end never had the opportunity to meet Whittaker, one of his youth idols. .
“This artist left his mark on my family; “My father was an unconditional fan of his songs and his talent for whistling,” recalls Pelchat, accompanied by Le Journal in the afternoon.
For Mario Pelchat, the song Une rose pour Isabelle is the one that has the most meaning.
“My cousin Isabelle died in a traffic accident when this song had just been released; We play it at every family gathering, it’s very emotional,” says the singer.
Ginette Reno became friends with Whittaker in the early 1970s, when she traveled to England to record. It was at the residence of the British singer and whistler where she spent her weekends during this period, accompanied by her family. She expressed the following to the Diario through her press agency;
“I had the pleasure of meeting Roger Whittaker on a Radio-Canada set. Later, he kindly invited me to one of his shows in England. I had the pleasure and joy of doing an entire series with him while I was pregnant with my son Cédric.
I have only good memories of his family, his children and his dog Bunty. At that time I stayed at his house, in the country, almost every other weekend. He had black roses in his garden, which is very rare.
Roger was a cheerful, generous and happy person with a big, full-bodied laugh that I like. I will never forget. He finally left the blue country of his. »
Paul Daraîche, who was involved in the production of the Roger Whittaker tribute album, was still in shock when he spoke to Le Journal. According to him, it was the country touch in Whittaker’s work that caught the attention of Quebecers.
“All the country fans who come to see our shows also love Whittaker, surely it is this nuance (country) that resonates so much with Quebecers. »
Loved by Quebecers
With his 60 million albums sold and his 250 platinum, gold and silver certifications, Roger Whittaker has especially marked Quebecers with his titles in French.
my blue country is, in particular, the name of a title that appears in a project that Whittaker had dedicated to La Belle Province in 1973, titled Performing in Quebec. Also included in this work were the pieces A rose for Isabelle and The Mistral.
In 2016, on the En direct de l’Univers program, Whittaker himself expressed his love for Céline Dion, dedicating a video to her. A rose for Isabelle.
Ginette Reno and Roger Whittaker in 1971. Photo-Journal, July 1971
A funeral will be held in France next week and a UK service date will also be announced.
