Maxime Le Flaguais honored the family values that were bequeathed to him during his first public outing since the death of his father, comedian Michel Côté. “Let’s use humor to get through difficult times, to deal with mourning and grief,” he said, peppering his speech with jokes and fond memories.
• Read also: The population invited to pay a last tribute to Michel Côté
• Read also: The artistic community mourns the departure of Michel Côté
The son of Michel Côté, Michel Le Flaguais, took the time to meet the journalists on this rainy Thursday morning, an hour before the opening of the burning chapel in tribute to his famous father at the Monument-National in Montreal. This is the first time he has spoken publicly since the disappearance of his father, who died of bone marrow cancer, on May 29, at the age of 72.
The actor acted as a spokesperson for the family. The latter, we learned this morning, held an intimate family funeral with a hundred loved ones yesterday, Wednesday.
“My mother is fine. It’s incredible, the strength of this woman. She’s an independent woman, so I’m not worried about her, ”replied a very generous Maxime Le Flaguais when asked about his mother, actress Véronique Le Flaguais.
He did not fail to evoke the tenderness and the love that his father had for his mother throughout his life; a beautiful tribute to the artistic couple who had been together for more than 50 years.
Proof of love
“Thank you for being here, I take this as a proof of love on your part, he expressed to people from the press. My father was important to me and the people of Quebec, so the more journalists there are, the more we see that the person was important. »
If he made several jokes and recounted several comic memories, the actor confessed to having never cried so much as when he received “the tsunami” of tributes and messages of support from people in the public and from the artistic milieu from here and elsewhere at the death of his father.
“We knew we had a father like no other, but this tsunami, it affected us. My father died and left us in a media storm and a love storm. Not on a rotten raft. It’s just beautiful, it was incredible, I received so many testimonials from people who had only good words for him. »
He’s the man behind the actor that people have been keen to honor since he left. And it is the strong man who fought to the end that his son wanted to celebrate this morning at the Monument-National.
The last moments
“It was difficult to juggle hope and despair. But there is a great team that supported him. When he was in palliative care, everyone who treated him came to pay their respects. They said: it’s the man behind the famous actor that we come to see. »
The voice slightly broken, Maxime Le Flaguais returned to the last months of his father who fought bone marrow cancer. This one had been given between 30 and 35% chance of survival. He went through a bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy treatments, experienced rejection symptoms, only to be told he only had a month or two left to live.
“It’s quite a disease! My father never complained about his pain. Incredible strength! It was made of steel. In the end, he wasn’t crying anymore, he was strong, strong, strong. He met his mother and his brothers, his grandchildren. My father spent an hour with his grandchildren explaining family values to them. It was a majestic moment. »
The grandpa also spent about twenty minutes with Françoise, Maxime’s daughter and his spouse, actress Caroline Dhavernas, to say goodbye to him by stroking his hair before falling asleep for good.
“We don’t prepare, we just listen and be there,” replied the actor when asked how he had prepared for his father’s departure. You can’t prepare for someone’s death. A father or a mother, we have two and both hurt. I hope to keep my mother with me for a long time. When we are with the sick person, we try to be more idealistic than realistic. »
Among the horde of values transmitted by the actor ofomerta and of The little life to his family, Maxime Le Flaguais mentioned humor, curiosity, interest in others.
“He taught me to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. He also taught me how to die. Die with dignity; strong and happy. At the end, he told us that he was happy with his life. »
The greatest legacy of Michel Côté – who will be awarded the title of Knight of the National Order of Quebec posthumously, on June 21 – to the people of Quebec?
“He made them laugh and he made them cry. But being an actor is much more than that. brew and all its projects are mirrors of society. It’s important as a job and my father did it so well. He was a great actor, he was funny and moving. He could do anything. »
- People who wish to bid a final farewell to Michel Côté can do so today, Thursday, June 8, at the Ardent Chapel held by the family. This takes place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Monument-National, in Montreal.