Janet Edith Woollacott (4 November 1939 – 13 November 2011) was a British-born French singer and dancer. She began dancing in the early 1960s, working on the

Côte d'Azur The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, and launched her singing career in 1969. She released a few solo singles and later sang with the group

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, alongside her fourth husband,

Dominique Perrier Dominique Perrier (16 February 1948 – 4 October 2023) was a French electronic musician, composer, and film director. He often accompanied Jean-Michel Jarre onstage and was a prominent figure in the groups Space Art and Stone Age. Biography Bor ...

. She was previously married to

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

, Jean-Paul Barkoff, and

Jean Sarrus Jean Sarrus (11 May 1945 – 19 February 2025) was a French actor, composer and singer. People know him best as a member of the legendary band Les Charlots. Life and career Sarrus was born in Puteaux. After being one of the bass players for Ro ...

. She also had a relationship of several years with

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

, with whom she had one daughter, her only child. Woollacott died after a long illness on 13 November 2011.

Biography

Early life and relationships

In 1959, Woollacott was a 20-year-old dancer at the

Monte-Carlo Sporting The Monte-Carlo Sporting (), also known as the Sporting d'été, is a building complex in the Larvotto ward on the eastern edge of Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and Europe ...

on the

, when she met singer and dancer Claude "Cloclo" François, whom she married the following year. They subsequently moved to Paris together. In 1962, while working as a dancer at the Olympia music hall in Paris, Woollacott met singer and pianist

, with whom she had an affair, and for whom she ultimately left François. The couple later had a daughter, Jennifer Bécaud. Woollacott's divorce from François wasn't finalized until 1967.

Artistic career

After debuting as a dancer, Woollacott began a career as a singer in 1969. She released the single "Je T'aime... Normal" / "Super-Gangsters", written by

Gérard Rinaldi Gérard Rinaldi (February 17, 1943 – March 2, 2012) was a French actor, musician, lyricist, artistic director and singer with Les Charlots. Career Death Rinaldi died of lymphoma on March 2, 2012. He was 69. A few days later, holding back ...

, with her third husband, actor

, under the name Jean & Janet. She went on to sing independently, using the mononym Janet, and released the single "Bénie Soit La Pluie" / "Le Chocolat" in 1972. The latter was co-written by

, who later became Woollacott's fourth husband. In 1985, the two published the song "Mama", from the soundtrack to the film ''

Adieu Blaireau ''Adieu Blaireau'' (''Farewell Blaireau'') is a 1985 film directed by Bob Decout. The picture stars Philippe Léotard, Annie Girardot and Juliette Binoche and premiered at the 1985 Cognac Festival du Film Policier. Cast * Philippe Léotar ...

''. From 1994, Woollacott contributed to Perrier's group

, singing on a number of their songs. In 2010, Perrier formed the Dominique Perrier Project as a tribute to Roger Rizzitelli, his former collaborator in the electronic group

Space Art Space art, also known as astronomical art, is a genre of art that Visual representation, visually depicts the universe through various Style (visual arts), artistic styles. It may also refer to Work of art, artworks sent into Outer space, space. ...

. Woollacott provided vocals on several tracks of the album ''Space Art Tribute'', released in 2012, one year after her death. In 1998, twenty years after the death of her first husband, Woollacott wrote ''Claude François: les années oubliées'', in his memory.

Death

Following a long illness, Woollacott died on 11 November 2011, at the age of 72. She is buried at the cemetery in

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urban ...

Discography

Solo * "Je T'aime... Normal" / "Super-Gangsters" (Jean & Janet, 1969) * "Bénie Soit La Pluie" / "Le Chocolat" (Janet, 1972) * "Mama" / "The Dream", from ''

Adieu blaireau ''Adieu Blaireau'' (''Farewell Blaireau'') is a 1985 film directed by Bob Decout. The picture stars Philippe Léotard, Annie Girardot and Juliette Binoche and premiered at the 1985 Cognac Festival du Film Policier. Cast * Philippe Léotar ...

'' (with

, 1985) with Stone Age * ''Stone Age'' (1995) * ''Les Chronovoyageurs'' (1997) * ''Promessa'' (2000) * ''Totems d'Armorique'' (2007) with Dominique Perrier Project * ''Space Art Tribute'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woollacott, Janet 1939 births 2011 deaths 20th-century French women singers British emigrants to France People from Carlton, Nottinghamshire 21st-century French women singers