Michel Côté’s youngest son, Maxime Le Flaguais, cried profusely following the “tsunami” of testimonies of love and the many tributes received upon the death of his father.
“We knew we had a father like no other, but this tsunami of love, it was only beautiful. I have never cried so much in my life, said Maxime Le Flaguais on Thursday. My father left us in a media storm, yes, but a storm of love. He didn’t leave us on a rotten little raft, but on a super nice boat. »
The day after the intimate funeral of his father, who died last Monday, Maxime Le Flaguais met the media, shortly before welcoming the public invited to pay a last tribute to his father in the burning chapel, at the Monument-National. An invitation made by the National School of Theater attended by the actor.
The youngest son of Michel Côté, who spoke as the spokesperson for the family, insisted on the testimonies which paid tribute to the person who was his father. Before greeting the actor of CRAZY, From father to cop Or Omerta.
“What really touched me the most is that people say: we are losing a great man. I knew he was a good person, but I didn’t know how good. As Sophie Lorain said to Everybody talks about it, you can be a notoriety and still be an asshole. Which was not the case with my father. »
Michel Côté feared having been absent for his children during his rounds of brew, which meant that he had to be absent several evenings a week, but Maxime Le Flaguais deemed these fears unfounded. “I never felt like I had an absent father. On the contrary. When he was there, he was really there. He played with us, he taught us everything. »
Maxime Le Flaguais returned to the cancer of his father, who received a bone marrow transplant last February, giving some hope to the family.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Maxime Le Flaguais: “What really touched me the most is that people say: we are losing a great man. I knew he was a good person, but I didn’t know how good. »
“He was given a 35% chance of success,” he said. On the one hand, it was a lot, on the other, not really. There are times when we believed in it, others not. At first he had rejection symptoms, which were normal, but then we realized that it wouldn’t work. »
According to him, from that moment on, Michel Côté’s attitude changed. “He was no longer crying, he spent time with each of us. He met his mother and his two brothers who came from Lac-Saint-Jean. He spent time with my brother [Charles]his children, with my daughter […]. What he bequeathed to me during his last months? He left me with incredible strength. He taught me how to die. With dignity. Strong. Happy. He told us that he was happy with his life. He was at peace. »
Throughout his illness, Michel Côté was stoic, said Maxime Le Flaguais, who spoke calmly. “He was very strong through the trials of his life. A man made of steel. In the disease, he was super strong. Maxime Le Flaguais recalled a time when he and his brother were by his side, each holding a hand. “He woke up suddenly, he saw us, and he went back to sleep smiling. »
What does he bequeath to the Quebec public? “He made us laugh and cry, simply replied Maxime Le Flaguais. That’s why we do this job. That’s why I do this job. It’s hard to explain. We see it as entertainment, but it’s much more than that. It is a mirror of society. It’s important as a job and my father did it really well. He was a great actor. »
Michel Côté is survived by his wife, actress Véronique Le Flaguais, his two sons Charles Côté (Isabelle Roy) and Maxime Le Flaguais (Caroline Dhavernas), as well as his grandchildren Théo, Olivia and Françoise. The general public is invited to pay their last respects this Thursday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Monument-National.