“Passion, passion always, passion again!” In an interview with BFMTV, Michel Drucker paid a final tribute to his friend Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, who was also his boss for several years when he headed France Télévisions. The media man and great French journalist died on October 4, 2023 at the age of 86, and his funeral took place this Friday in Montparnasse. Interviewed by Dominique Marie for BFMTV, the host of Roll on Sunday revealed that he was able to count on the support of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach when he experienced his many health concernsand revealed that they were both hospitalized at the same time. A difficult ordeal that they overcame together, communicating by telephone several times a day.
“We have a lot to learn from Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre, there will be a before and an after. There has never been an interviewer like him in the world. His tenacity, a hard worker, he thought that was the only thing he lived for. And since passion doesn’t tire, he went all the way. Even until the end, he was interested in current affairs. Jean-Pierre, it’s a whole page of our life, I’m part of a generation that shared strong moments with him, we talked a lot recently, we were in the hospital at the same time, we exchanged our pains ; as Jean Ferrat would say: Jean-Pierre, you could have lived a little longerbecause he still had other things to prove to us” testified Michel Drucker, also referring to the tribute he paid to Johnny Hallyday in December 2017.
Asked about the numerous criticisms that Jean-Pierre Elkabbach received during his career, Michel Drucker turns them offand would like to recall the historic interview he carried out with François Mitterrand, shortly before his death. And to add, ever more complimentary: “Everyone is criticized in our profession, everyone shoots everyone, everyone forgets everyone, but we won’t forget it.”
The political class was present
Many political figures were present this Friday to say goodbye to Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, such as Claude Chirac, Brigitte MacronFrançois Hollande, Brice Hortefeux, François Baroin, Richard Ferrand, Xavier Bertrand, Anne Hidalgo, Gabriel Attal, Sébastien Le Cornu, Jean-Marie Le Guen and Arnaud Montebourg. The middle of the PAF also made the trip, as in particular Léa Salamewhich owes to Jean-Pierre Elkabbach his beginnings as a journalist on Public Sénat, another channel that Jean-Pierre Elkabbach headed during his immense journalistic career. Pascal Praud was also present, and spoke for a few moments with Michel Drucker.