A final tribute will be paid this Monday to Marie-Paule Belle, who died on July 25 in Neuilly-sur-Seine at the age of 80. The singer, who was suffering from cancer, continued to perform on stage until a few weeks before her death.
A ceremony at Saint-Roch Church
The religious funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Virgin at the Church of Saint-Roch, located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. This church, often referred to as "the church of performing artists," regularly hosts the funerals of prominent figures in the cultural world. Following the service, Marie-Paule Belle's coffin will be taken to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery crematorium in the 20th arrondissement. The ceremony under the dome is scheduled to begin at 13:30 p.m. The singer had spoken publicly about her cancer, notably in her poem KO!, published in 2024. Despite the illness, she was still on stage at the end of May 2026 to give a final recital at the Théâtre de Passy, in Paris.
A career that began in Parisian cabarets
Marie-Paule Belle was born on January 25, 1946, in Pont-Sainte-Maxence, in the Oise region of France. She grew up in Nice with her musician mother, who taught her piano and guitar from a very young age. After studying psychology, she moved to Paris in 1969. She began singing in cabarets on the Left Bank, notably at L'Écluse and L'Échelle de Jacob, iconic venues where Barbara had also made her debut. Her first album earned her several awards, including the Charles Cros Academy Prize. Her encounter with the writer Françoise Mallet-Joris profoundly marked her personal and artistic life. The two women had a love affair, and Françoise Mallet-Joris wrote several lyrics performed by the singer.
La Parisienne, the title that brought her to the attention of the general public
In 1975, Serge Lama invited Marie-Paule Belle to participate in his tour. This exhibition allowed her to reach a much wider audience. The following year, she achieved immense success with La ParisienneThe song became his most famous hit and was awarded a gold record. His repertoire also includes Wolfgang and me, Nosferatu, The Little Villages et Berlin in the 1920sThroughout her career, Marie-Paule Belle performed at the Olympia, the Théâtre des Variétés, and at the Francofolies festivals in La Rochelle and Montreal. She also worked in theatre and participated in Vagina Monologues in the 2000's.
Over 400 songs and 25 albums
A great admirer of Barbara, Marie-Paule Belle had dedicated a show to her entitled From Belle to BarbaraIn 2020, she had published As if you were still here, a book devoted to her love story with Françoise Mallet-Joris. Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, she released the album in 2023 One evening among a thousand, composed of fifteen unreleased songs. In May 2026, a final best-of compilation was released to celebrate her 80th birthday and more than half a century of career. Marie-Paule Belle leaves behind 25 albums, more than 400 songs, and one of the most popular hits of 1970s French music.
