The impresario and producer Guy Latraverse, whom many nicknamed the “father of show business Quebecois”, passed away on Sunday. Co-founder of ADISQ and the Francofolies de Montréal, he propelled the careers of local cultural monuments and produced major shows that went down in history. We also owe him more than 1000 television shows.
It was his daughter, Zoé Latraverse, who confirmed the news at the end of the day. Hospitalized for several months, he died in his sleep at the age of 84.
Mr. Latraverse worked alongside Yvon Deschamps, Robert Charlebois, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Jean Lapointe, Daniel Lemire, Claude Dubois and Diane Dufresne, among others. He notably produced the latter’s show at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal in 1984, Pink Magicas well as a legendary performance by Félix Leclerc, Gilles Vigneault and Robert Charlebois on the Plains of Abraham in 1974, as part of the Superfrancofête.
Born in Chicoutimi in 1939, Guy Latraverse stood out in the cultural world when he was a young adult, by inventing a profession that was then non-existent in Quebec, that of show producer. He set up a network of venues for his artists’ tours which is still in use today. Several European artists also performed in Quebec thanks to him, including Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Michel Fugain, Petula Clark, Léo Ferré and Dalida.
Television and philanthropy
For television, he produced numerous special programs that left their mark, including All united against AIDSin April 1996, and In concert with Saguenay, after the flood, a few months later, bringing together all the major French-speaking networks. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the 1980s, he made documentaries and comedy shows on the subject, which was until then taboo. He also produces the series Saturday of laughter, Pleasure grows with use And Song box memory.
His philanthropic activities have further earned him much admiration. The one-man band founded the Revivre Foundation, which then became the Relief organization, helping people suffering from anxiety disorders, depression or bipolar disorder.
Knighted in the National Order of Quebec and the Order of the Pléiade, he is also an officer of the Order of Canada and named “pioneer-builder” by the Professional Society of Authors and Composers of Quebec (SPACQ).
Guy Latraverse « ex[çait] the profession of producer, but with the sensitivity and creativity of an artist,” said Claudine Monfette, alias Mouffe, during a tribute at the ADISQ gala in 2013. He is survived by several generations of artists from here, including her sister, the actress Louise Latraverse.