French comedian Guillaume Bats dies aged 36

“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the death this Thursday, June 1st, of Guillaume Bats, our great friend and brother in heart and on stage.writes Dark Smile Productions. The event being recent, we do not yet have all the details relating to his funeral, and do not yet know the cause of this tragic event. […] We don’t have the words but a huge emptiness is already present in our hearts.”

“I learn with deep sadness of the death of Guillaume Bats”writes on Twitter Geneviève Darrieussecq, the Minister Delegate for People with Disabilities, “Through his generosity and his humour, he knew how to make generations of our compatriots laugh, while bringing another view of disability. I send all my condolences to his family and loved ones”.

“He was a master of humor and derision”

Another reaction, the French Paralympic and Sports Committee wrote on Twitter: “Guillaume Bats was a master of humor and derision. By making us laugh, he challenged certainties and prejudices and had conquered the scene of French laughter. We will miss him.” Former wheelchair tennis world number 1, Paralympic champion, and 2016 Rio Olympics flag bearer Michael Jeremiasz tweets his sadness “to learn of the death of the excellent Guillaume Bats who, with humor and generosity, expressed another voice on disability”.

“We told you ‘It’s impossible. Finally look at yourself’. You made it”writes comedian Anne Roumanoff. “You made whole rooms laugh. Self-mockery and dark humor not to cry. You helped thousands of people to accept themselves. Goodbye Guillaume Bats.”