Another “Tanning” has passed away. After the sudden disappearance of Pierre Marcotte on July 13, actor and puppeteer Roger Giguère died overnight from Saturday to Sunday at the McGill University Health Center. The artist, who suffered from a degenerative lung disease, was 77 years old.
For Shirley Théroux, who hosted the popular show The Tanners in the company of Roger Giguère, Joël Denis and Pierre Marcotte at the end of the 1970s, it was another hard blow. This death occurs just a few weeks after that of Pierre Marcotte, her ex-husband and father of her son, Bruno-Pierre, at the age of 83.
Joined yesterday by phone, the 76-year-old artist did not want to give details or share reactions, preferring to live the sad news in private. “Right now, there are a lot of deaths and we have a lot of pain, she said simply. So we would appreciate having the time to experience our grief and our pain. »
beautiful memories
The other “Tanning”, Joël Denis, agreed to share with The newspaper aspects of his friendly relationship with Roger Giguère.
“I knew he had health problems for several years and Pierre Marcotte often spoke to me about them, because they were good friends,” explained the 85-year-old artist, who learned of the death of Mr. Giguère. by a next-door neighbour. “He was a charming boy with whom I had the pleasure of working a few times. He had his characters, he was loved by the public, sympathetic. »
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Pierre Marcotte and the comedian in a number together.
“I keep a beautiful memory of him, he was a gentleman, a good man who was loved by the artistic colony and by his public,” added the one who still goes up on the stages of Quebec. “Once again, another start that hurts us. I start to hide in the corner, I start to be afraid. Well, the list is long. It makes us think. »
“I thank God every day, and especially my mother, who gave me her genes. She died a hundred years old, she died in good health. What do you want, you have to deal with that, it’s part of life, death, even if I have a lot of difficulty with the fact of losing many comrades. I’m in great shape and I take advantage of it every day and every second, I bite into life, because you never know when it can happen to you. »
On social networks, Facebook in particular, the tributes of collaborators and spectators who grew up with the characters interpreted by Roger Giguère are numerous.
“I had a lot of fun working with Roger on The Tanners as a writer and, above all, as a composer and producer of his album
Mr Quiet, shared Pierre Laurendeau on Facebook. He was an outstanding sound designer and actor… We laughed a lot together. »
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Roger Giguère (center) played the role of backup singer for Réal Giguère on the set of Fidèle au poste. On the right, we recognize another missing person: Paolo Noël.
Multidisciplinary artist
Roger Giguère is survived by his wife, Nicole, and Francis, his only son. A multidisciplinary artist, he has been a sound designer, puppeteer, singer, actor and animator.
Born in 1944, he is known for his participation in several flagship television shows of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Captain Bonhomme, The Cabin at Midas and At Prof. Rock. Roger Giguère also gave life to Monsieur Tranquille, a famous character in the series Patof Voyage. He then hosted his own show, The world of Monsieur Tranquillebroadcast in 1978-1979 on Télé-Métropole.
At the end of the 1970s, alongside Pierre Marcotte, Shirley Théroux and Joël Denis, Roger Giguère made all of Quebec laugh with The Tanners, a program combining sketches, humour, songs and moments of complicity with the public. Mr. Giguère then returned to television by accepting a few roles in series broadcast in the 1990s.
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Gilles Latulippe and Roger Giguere.
In parallel with this career on the small screen, Roger Giguère developed his talents as a comedian and actor on the boards of theaters, where he multiplied roles, notably alongside the great Gilles Latulippe.
– With the collaboration of QMI Agency