Jean-Philippe Leo Smet, better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France.
24 Facts About Johnny Hallyday
2.
Johnny Hallyday had five diamond albums, 40 golden albums, 22 platinum albums and earned ten Victoires de la Musique.
3.
Johnny Hallyday sang an estimated 1,154 songs and performed 540 duets with 187 artists.
4.
Johnny Hallyday was a symbol of the Trente Glorieuses when he emerged in 1960 and a familiar figure to four generations.
5.
Johnny Hallyday remained relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, where he was dubbed "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" and introduced as the French version of Elvis Presley.
6.
Johnny Hallyday grew up with his aunt, Helene Mar, and took his stage name from a cousin-in-law from Oklahoma who performed as Lee Halliday.
7.
The latter called Smet "Johnny Hallyday" and became a father figure, introducing him to American music.
8.
Johnny Hallyday appeared on the American The Ed Sullivan Show with American singing star Connie Francis in a show that was taped at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris.
9.
Johnny Hallyday staged many appearances in the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix.
10.
On Je suis ne dans la rue, Johnny Hallyday hired both Peter Frampton and the Small Faces and they all play on most of the tracks on the album.
11.
In December 2005, Johnny Hallyday had his third number-one single on the French SNEP singles chart since its establishment in 1984, "Mon plus beau Noel", dedicated to his adopted daughter Jade.
12.
Johnny Hallyday's album Tour 66: Stade de France 2009 was a live set recorded at Stade de France during his farewell tour.
13.
In 2011 Johnny Hallyday released album Jamais seul, recorded with Matthieu Chedid, and started touring again.
14.
Later Johnny Hallyday released two live albums, On Stage and Born Rocker Tour.
15.
Johnny Hallyday was married five times, including twice to the same woman, with the first four marriages ending in divorce.
16.
Johnny Hallyday had a four-year relationship with French actress Nathalie Baye.
17.
Johnny Hallyday, who resided in Los Angeles, owned a chalet in the Swiss town of Gstaad from 2006 to 2015 to avoid the high tax rate imposed by the French government.
18.
Johnny Hallyday said that he would have moved his residency back to France if it changed its tax laws.
19.
In January 2014, Johnny Hallyday said that his current residence was in the United States after an investigation by a Swiss journalist showed that Johnny Hallyday did not spend enough time in Gstaad to qualify as a resident.
20.
In July 2009, Johnny Hallyday was diagnosed with colon cancer, and underwent surgery.
21.
On 26 November 2009, Johnny Hallyday underwent surgery in Paris to repair a herniated disc.
22.
Johnny Hallyday suffered complications and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
23.
Johnny Hallyday was buried on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy in the cemetery of Lorient parish church on 11 December 2017.
24.
Johnny Hallyday was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1997 and Officer of the Order of the Crown in 2001.