François Hadji-Lazaro, central figure of French alternative rock of the 1980s-90s, died at 66

The cheeky voice of titi Parisian will remain attached for the general public to the hit of the 1990s “In the room of the bar-tabac of the rue des Martyrs”, of the Pigalle group of which he was the leader and of the Boys butchers.

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François Hadji-Lazaro, a central figure in the French alternative rock scene of the 1980s and 90s, leader of the group Pigalle and Les Garçons Bouchers, has died at the age of 66, his record company announced on Sunday. The musician died “Saturday around 11:55 p.m.,” an official from Universal France told AFP, confirming the news given by his saxophonist and friend Stef Gotkovski, of the death “of the gentleman who was called Gros François” or “Attilazaro“.

Butcher Productions

The cheeky Parisian titi voice of François Hadji-Lazaro will remain attached to the hit of the 1990s In the room of the bar-tabac on rue des Martyrs, from Pigalle. At the same time, he also founded Les Garçons Bouchers, author of the anti-tube of the summer The Lambada we don’t like that or a punk cover of Come see the musiciansby Charles Aznavour.

But his influence on the French punk-rock scene goes far beyond: having frequented the founders of the Wampas or the Béruriers Noirs, he created the independent label Boucherie Productions, which gave a chance to many artists then emerging, including Mano Negra , before closing its doors in 2001 after filing for bankruptcy.

At the movie theater

His physical appearance as a colossus with braces, smooth skull and round face, has also caught the eye of film directors, who make him work on supporting roles or extras: he fits perfectly with the atmosphere of The city of lost children by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and appears notably in The Pact of the Wolves. He has also composed film music.

François Hadji-Lazaro had ended up joining the Universal major, to continue to produce. Pouet (2016) and Sneeze (2018).


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