Catherine Ringer died overnight from Monday to Tuesday at the age of 68. The singer, inextricably linked to Les Rita Mitsouko and several of the biggest hits of French rock in the 1980s, succumbed to a rapidly progressing cancer. Her death was announced on Tuesday by her children and family.
"It is with immense sadness that the family and loved ones of Catherine Ringer announce her death, taken by a sudden cancer on the night of September 14, 2026 ," the statement announcing her death indicated.
Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin, the duo who created Rita Mitsouko
Born on October 18, 1957 in Suresnes, Catherine Ringer met Fred Chichin in the late 1970s. The two artists became partners in life as well as on stage and founded Les Rita Mitsouko, a group with an immediately recognizable identity, mixing rock, pop, funk and rhythms from other horizons.
The general public truly discovered them with Marcia Baïla . Released on their first album in 1984 and then published as a single, the track became a huge success and definitively established the duo in the French musical landscape.
These include Andy , C'est comme ça , Les Histoires d'A. , Le Petit Train and Y'a d'la haine . Catherine Ringer established a voice, a way of singing and a stage presence unlike any other.
Fred Chichin died in 2007, and Catherine Ringer refused to replace him.
The story of Rita Mitsouko took a dramatic turn in 2007. Fred Chichin died of cancer at the age of 53, a few months after the release of their last album, Variéty . Catherine Ringer lost her partner, the father of her three children, and her musical collaborator.
She continued her career without trying to artificially recreate the duo. A few years later, she clearly summarized her choice: "We didn't replace Fred."
Catherine Ringer, however, continues to keep their songs alive on stage. She is also developing a career under her own name and has notably released Ring n' Roll in 2011, her first solo album after the death of Fred Chichin.
A career pursued until recent years
Catherine Ringer had never truly left the stage. She continued to perform the Rita Mitsouko repertoire, alone or accompanied by musicians, while also participating in numerous artistic projects.
In 2025, she notably appeared in Suzane's music video " Je t'accuse ," which addressed sexual violence , alongside Muriel Robin, Charlotte Arnould, and other women. She had also joined over 34,000 artists who had mobilized to protect their work from artificial intelligence.
Her career also extended beyond the realm of music. In March 2024, during the ceremony to enshrine the right to abortion in the French Constitution, she performed La Marseillaise in Place Vendôme, modifying part of the lyrics.
Marcia Baila, Andy Le Sauce, It's like that songs that have become part of popular culture
With Les Rita Mitsouko, Catherine Ringer spanned more than four decades of French music. The duo managed to create a highly personal style without sacrificing popular success.
Marcia Baïla , a tribute to the dancer and choreographer Marcia Moretto, remains their most immediately identifiable track. The No Comprendo , released in 1986, then contains several of their now essential songs, including Andy , C'est comme ça and Les Histoires d'A.
Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin have also collaborated with many French and international artists, including Sparks, Iggy Pop and Tony Visconti.
Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin reunited 19 years after the musician's death
Fred Chichin died on November 28, 2007. Catherine Ringer then chose to continue singing, while maintaining the identity of Rita Mitsouko intact and refusing to replace the man with whom she had built the group.
Nearly 19 years later, Catherine Ringer passed away in turn. She was 68 years old. With her death, one of the most recognizable voices in French music was silenced, as was the other half of a duo whose songs remained instantly identifiable decades after their release.
