Francoise Hardy

Françoise Hardy was a French singer-songwriter, a leading figure of the yé-yé wave who rose to prominence in the early 1960s. Her melancholic sentimental ballads made her a star, and she sang not only in French but also in English, Italian, and German. Her career spanned more than fifty years, with over thirty studio albums released.

In 1967, Hardy began a highly publicized relationship with singer Jacques Dutronc. Their son Thomas was born on 16 June 1973, and in the autumn of 1974 the family moved into a three-story house near Parc Montsouris. They spent every summer at Dutronc's house in Lumio on Corsica. Thomas later became a musician, following in his parents' footsteps.

Hardy and Dutronc married on 30 March 1981, in a private ceremony. She said the marriage was formalized for fiscal reasons, and for health and safety reasons on the advice of her lawyer. The couple separated in 1988, due to infidelities on both sides and Dutronc's alcoholism, but they never divorced. Hardy described their bond as a special friendship. In 2016, she told Le Parisien that Dutronc had a new partner but did not want a divorce from her. Hardy died on 11 June 2024, at the age of 80.