Italian-born director Franco Dragone, forever associated with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, died Friday in Cairo, Egypt, following a heart attack. He was 69 years old.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Franco Dragone. Our hearts go out to his friends, family and the entire Dragone organization. Franco was an industry icon. Responsible for some of our most iconic productions, including ‘New Experience’, ‘Alegría’, ‘Mystery’, ‘O’ and ‘La Nouba’, he has made an invaluable contribution to the success of Cirque du Soleil. company in a statement, noting that Friday’s performances of its “Mystery” and “O” shows in Las Vegas will be dedicated to Franco Dragone.
Born in Italy and raised from the age of 7 in Belgium, Franco Dragone had discovered Quebec in 1982, 40 years ago, notably offering internships at the National Circus School of Montreal. The founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté, noticed him very early on and made him a top collaborator within his organization founded in 1984.
Mr. Laliberté also paid him a vibrant tribute on Friday. “My dear friend Franco, I am devastated to learn of your departure… From the first day we met at Cirque du Soleil in 1985, through our many creative encounters, we dreamed together and had the chance and the pleasure of realizing some of our wildest dreams. “O” is one of them and I believe I can say, in all humility, that this show will undoubtedly go down in the annals of entertainment as a technical and artistic masterpiece,” he wrote, describing Mr. Dragone as a “great romantic” and a “committed artist”.
“I feel privileged to have been able to develop this creative complicity and this friendship with you, over time, continued the founder of Cirque du Soleil. To have inspired you and to have been inspired by you… Your departure reminds us how much true wealth lies in what really matters: family, friends and health.”
Franco Dragone also worked with Celine Dion for her first show in Las Vegas, “A New Day”, launched in 2003, and took part in the festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, in 2008, by staging “Le Potager des visionnaires on the roofs and terraces of the Musée de la civilization de Québec.
Franco Dragone had created his own show and event company, Dragone, based in Belgium.
In recognition of his contribution to the culture and recent history of Quebec, Franco Dragone was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec 20 years ago.
Note that in 2016, the name of Franco Dragone was named among many personalities involved in the Panama Papers scandal. Media like “Paris Match” quoted Friday that since 2012 he had been “the subject of a judicial investigation in Mons for tax evasion, money laundering and corruption”. Indicted in December 2015 in this case, the legal proceedings should continue despite his death.