His face and his taste for rural France were known far beyond the circle of his viewers. Jean-Pierre Pernaut, former presenter of the 1 p.m. TF1 newspaper, died on Wednesday March 2, his family announced to AFP. The journalist presented the midday edition of the first channel from 1988 to 2020. He was 71 years old. “Tom, Lou, Olivier and Julia’s father died of lung cancer” Wednesday afternoon, his wife’s agent, Nathalie Marquay-Pernaut, told AFP. The journalist had announced his illness last November, after having fought a first cancer, of the prostate, which had forced him to be absent from the antenna in 2018.
— Jean-Pierre Pernaut (@pernautjp) November 22, 2021
“It is with immense pain that we learned of the disappearance of Jean-Pierre Pernaut”wrote TF1 in a press release. “Television loses one of its greatest journalists, TF1 a member of his family”.
Little known when he was appointed in 1988, the man who spent most of his career at TF1 succeeded Yves Mourousi and transformed the channel’s “13 Hours”, allowing him to regain the lead in the audience rankings ahead of Antenne 2.
He claimed in particular with pride the multiplication of regional correspondents, to shape a newspaper less centered on Parisian news, but sometimes accused of presenting a rather conservative postcard of France.
Since his departure from “13 Heures”, Jean-Pierre Pernaut continued to present a weekly program, “Jean-Pierre et vous”, on LCI, and he had launched an online channel, Jean-Pierre Pernaut TV, still within the framework of the TF1 group. He had not appeared on the air since mid-December.
Even if he was becoming rarer on television, he remained the 10th highest ranked man on the list of favorite personalities of the French published by the JDD in December and the most popular media personality (with Karine Le Marchand).
Prime Minister Jean Castex spoke of the “familiar voice” and the “reassuring face” of the presenter in a tribute posted on Twitter. “We are losing a great journalist”reacted the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot.
Not a hamlet in our country was unknown to him. Not one tradition of our lands was foreign to him.
Territorial France is losing that familiar voice and that reassuring face that spoke so well of her and knew how to speak to her so well. We already miss Jean-Pierre Pernaut.— Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) March 2, 2022
Several presidential candidates immediately paid tribute to him.
Infinite sadness on learning of the disappearance of my friend Jean-Pierre Pernaut. He fought against the disease with immense courage. For years he was the face of these terroirs of France that he loved so much. To Nathalie and her children my most affectionate thoughts.
— Valerie Pécresse (@vpecresse) March 2, 2022
I am sincerely moved to learn of the disappearance of Jean-Pierre Pernaut, who had at heart to share with the French his passion for our terroirs and our traditions, his love for the beauties of our country.
He was so French! He will be missed by all of us. https://t.co/9tgZOiaqj0
– Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) March 2, 2022
We learn with sadness of the death of Jean-Pierre Pernaut. Through his 1 p.m. news, he has brought life and love to our rural France and its treasures to millions of French people. https://t.co/reWZa4qtR3
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) March 2, 2022
It is with great sadness that I learn of the disappearance of Jean-Pierre Pernaut. Emblematic presenter of 13h, passionate journalist, he was for years the embodiment of the rich life of our territories. Thoughts to his family and loved ones. https://t.co/c1CTGkemJK
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) March 2, 2022
Jean-Pierre Pernaut left us today. He will have accompanied the French for 32 years by presenting the 1 p.m. news from TF1. All my thoughts are with his family and loved ones.https://t.co/u9UU9AGTDX
—Yannick Jadot (@yjadot) March 2, 2022