The Quebec public pays a last tribute to Jean Lapointe, Thursday evening, during a burning chapel which is held at the Saint-Viateur church in Outremont until 10 p.m. Several dozen admirers of the singer and actor have already paraded in front of his funeral urn and offered their condolences to Jean-Marie Lapointe and his family.
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Arriving more than an hour before the opening of the church doors, Marc Simard, a Montrealer, was the first visitor in line to say a final farewell to Jean Lapointe. “I was shocked to see that he was not granted a state funeral, he protested from the outset.
“Jean Lapointe is a man who represents us well as a people. He was always close to the public, and he changed laws and did things to help people. He was not a perfect man but he deserves to be honored because he represents us so accurately.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney also came to greet Jean Lapointe. “Jean was one of my good friends, confided the politician. I admired him enormously. I contributed to the creation of Maison Jean Lapointe. And he also sang at my departure party as prime minister. We were good friends.”
MARTIN ALARIE/ QMI AGENCY
While waiting for the private funeral, which will be held in this same church on Saturday morning, the Ardent Chapel allows visitors to see up close the funeral urn of the singer, actor and senator who died on November 18 at the age 86 years old, and to share a few words with members of the family, including Jean-Marie Lapointe, the well-known son of the artist. The latter was also moved to see the public move in such large numbers to pay tribute to him:
“What really touches me is to see that each person who comes to talk to us has an anecdote to tell about a time when they met my father,” said Jean-Marie Lapointe. Whether at a meeting at Maison Jean Lapointe or when he was in Les Jérolas. Everyone remembers a momentous encounter with my father. Dad made so many nice gestures of generosity that weren’t necessarily publicized. That’s what people are coming to share with us tonight.”
Several personalities attended the event, including filmmakers André Forcier and Claude Fournier, who have both previously worked with Jean Lapointe.
PHOTO: MARTIN ALARIE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTR�AL
A private televised funeral on Saturday
The private funeral of Jean Lapointe will take place in the presence only of close friends and the Lapointe family. However, the public will be able to watch the event on television, as it will be broadcast on RDI at 10am the same day.
Singer Marie-Élaine Thibert and singer Frayne McCarthy will sing for the occasion. The latter will deliver one of Jean Lapointe’s favorite plays: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. The actor Benoît Brière will also deliver a tribute to the deceased artist. He will read a poem written by Félix Leclerc to his friend, Jean Lapointe.
A few dignitaries are also expected, including François Legault, Premier of Quebec and Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada.