Grégory Lemarchal

Grégory Jean-Paul Lemarchal (13 May 1983 – 30 April 2007), known professionally as Grégory Lemarchal, was a French singer who rose to fame by winning the fourth series of the reality television show Star Academy, which was broadcast on the TF1.

He died at the age of 23 of health complications (cystic fibrosis) while waiting in hospital for a lung transplant. A posthumous album, La Voix d'un ange, was released with profits going towards the Association Grégory Lemarchal charity. A compilation, Rêves, was released in 2009. He has sold more than 2 million albums.

Life and career 1983–2002: Early life Lemarchal was born in La Tronche, Isère to Pierre and Laurence Lemarchal, 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.

Growing up near Chambéry, Lemarchal enjoyed sports such as basketball and football, and even considered becoming involved in sports journalism. Nevertheless, his passion for music and rock n'roll dancing was irresistible. In 1997, at the age of 14, he became the winner of France Rock 'N' Roll, a rock 'n' roll dancing competition.

In 1999, 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 performance in the show.

In 2004, Lemarchal gained international recognition after participating in the fourth season of the French reality singing competition Star Academy. Through the recommendation of a friend, he was contacted by the show's producers who needed another male contestant for the show. The single spent a total of 21 weeks in the chart and went platinum. Soon afterward, he released his highly anticipated first album, Je deviens moi, which debuted at number 1 and was certified platinum. A third single, "À corps perdu", was less successful, with major French radio stations refusing to play it on account that it was "too sad".

At the NRJ Music Awards in January 2006, Lemarchal was awarded "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" ("Révélation francophone de l'année"). From May to June 2006, he completed his first solo nationwide tour across France, Belgium and Switzerland; a DVD of his performance, Olympia 06, was subsequently released. The first single from the album, "Même si (What You're Made of)" was very successful. The song was recorded by Lemarchal and the original singer of the song, Lucie Silvas, as a bilingual French-English version. The single debuted at number 2 in the French Singles Chart and was held off the number 1 spot by Pakito's "Living on Video". It spent a total of 26 weeks in the chart. A live version of the album track "Le feu sur les planches" was subsequently released.

2007: 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, at age 23, he died of complications while waiting in hospital for a lung transplant. and help progress research into finding a cure. To date, more than €7.5 million has been raised for cystic fibrosis causes in his memory.

2007–2009: Posthumous releases A posthumous album, La voix d'un ange, was released a month and a half after his death by his record company Universal Music Group France, with profits going towards the Association Grégory Lemarchal. This release was not without controversy, for the record company was accused of cashing in on the public attention caused by his death. The album was certified Platinum by the IFPI for sales of more than 1 million copies across Europe.

Three singles were released from the album. The song "De temps en temps" debuted at number 1 in both the French and Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Charts becoming Lemarchal's first number 1 single in those charts. The single dropped to number 2 in its second week, and went on to spend a total of 21 weeks on the chart. The success of the single eventually garnered him a posthumous award of Vincent Scotto by SACEM, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. The third single, "Restons Amis" debuted at number 9 in French Singles Chart and stayed in the chart for a total of 16 weeks.

In November 2009, a compilation entitled Rêves was released, containing all Lemarchal's previous hit singles plus two unreleased songs. The album debuted at number 1 in France.

Legacy

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. Asteroid 213637 Lemarchal was named in his memory. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 23 September 2010 .

Discography

Studio albums Je deviens moi (2005) La voix d'un ange (2007) Live albums Olympia 06 (2006) Les pas d'un ange (2007) Compilation albums Rêves (2009) Cinq ans (2012)