Michel Louvain, (July 12, 1937April 14, 2021) was a Canadian singer most popular in the 1960s and 1970s.Michel Louvain
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

. He recorded many hit songs, and also worked as a host for a variety of shows on television and radio. In 1965 he was voted 'Mr. Radio–TV', Radio Canada's top show business personality, at the Gala des Artistes.

Early life

Louvain was born Michel Poulin in

Thetford Mines Thetford Mines (; Canada 2021 Census population 26,072) is a city in south-central Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of Les Appalaches Regional County Municipality. The city is located in the Appalachian Mountains, 187 km east-northeast of Mo ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, on July 12, 1937. His father worked as a miner. Louvain first sang as a child in the choir at his local church. He was employed as a hardware store decorator during his adolescence. He consequently moved out of his hometown to pursue a full-time career in singing. He first relocated to

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

, before settling down in

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Career

Louvain began working as a master of ceremonies at a hotel in Laval when he was 20 years old. He was later signed to Apex Records in the 1960s. His first hit was "Buenas Noches Mi Amor". Over the next 20 years, Louvain made many recordings, including the hit songs "La Dame en bleu" and "Je déclare l'amour au monde entier". His recordings in French were sold internationally in Belgium. His song "C'est Un Secret" reached #14 in the Canadian

RPM Magazine ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''RP ...

Top 40, November 29, 1965. Louvain was the host of a succession of

CFTM-TV CFTM-DT (channel 10) is a television station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, serving as the flagship of the French-language network TVA. Owned by Groupe TVA, the station has studios in the '' Journal de Montréal'' building on Rue Frontenac in the ...

(

) and

Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...

TV variety shows. His performances attracted mostly young female fans. He first performed in nightclubs, and, when his following grew more mature, in entertainment theatres. In the 1980s, he staged grandiose music-hall shows, with female dancers and scenery, at the

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and across Quebec, including ''Autour du monde'' in 1984. Louvain was the subject of a documentary film by

Claude Demers Claude Demers (born March 10, 1962) is a Canadian filmmaker from Montreal, Quebec. He is most noted for his series of documentary films that were indirectly inspired by, or directly about, his experiences as an adoptee. The birth son of an Italia ...

, entitled '' Ladies in Blue (Les dames en bleu)''.

Later life

Louvain was appointed Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

in 2010. Five years later, he was named a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 2017, as a celebration of his 80th birthday, Louvain set out on a concert tour. One of the concerts was at the Festival d'Été de Québec in Quebec City.Josianne Desloges
"Michel Louvain et l'OSQ: le bonheur d'un crooner"
''

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'', April 7, 2017. He released his 32nd album, ''La belle vie'', in 2019. He was scheduled to tour throughout Quebec from September 2021, beginning in his hometown

. Louvain died in his sleep on the night of April 14, 2021, at the Hôpital de Verdun in

. He was 83, and suffered from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

, which he had been diagnosed with earlier that month. Condolences included the Premier of Quebec

François Legault François Legault (; born May 26, 1957) is a Canadian politician serving as the 32nd premier of Quebec since 2018. A founding member of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), he has led the party since it began in 2011. Legault sits as a Nationa ...

, saying "the people of Quebec have lost an idol", and Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

who described Louvain as "one of Quebec's greatest singers". Louvain was

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, but rarely spoke about his private life on the record to the media.Lise Ravary
"Francophones mourn Michel Louvain, anglos say 'who?'"
''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', April 19, 2021. He was in a 25-year relationship with Mario Théberge, although the couple did not officially marry until just a few days before Louvain's death in 2021.

Discography

* 1958: ''Michel Louvain'' * 1959: ''Ici Michel Louvain'' * 1961: ''Après minuit'' * 1962: ''Michel Louvain chante ses succès'' * 1962: ''Toi et moi'' * 1964: ''Michel'' * 1965: ''Aloha'' * 1965: ''Cœur à chœur'' * 1966: ''Un peu plus de chanson'' * 1967: ''Formi... formidable'' * 1968: ''Souvenirs exotiques'' * 1969: ''Michel Louvain chante Marie'' * 1973: ''Ma vie, c'est l'amour'' * 1974: ''La Grande kermesse western'' * 1974: ''La Dame en bleu'' * 1978: ''En spectacle au

Grand Théâtre de Québec The Grand Théâtre de Québec () is a performing arts complex in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was conceived to commemorate the Canadian Centennial of 1967 and the Quebec Conference, 1864, one of the key meetings leading to the Canadian Confe ...

'' * 1979: ''En harmonie'' * 1979: ''Message d'amour et de paix'' * 1980: ''Michel Louvain 1980'' * 1982: ''Michel Louvain: 1957–1982'' * 1984: ''Michel Louvain'' * 1986: ''Il faut s'aimer'' * 1988: ''Noël avec vous'' * 1988: ''L'Amour sera toujours l'amour'' * 1989: ''Romantique'' * 1993: ''Je déclare l'amour'' * 1997: ''La collection Michel Louvain – Les grands succès'' * 2002: ''Les Grands Succès'' * 2007: ''Chante Noël'' * 2015: ''Gentleman Crooner''

References

External links

* * *
Michel Louvain
at ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Louvain, Michel 1937 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singers Apex Records artists Canadian gay musicians Canadian LGBTQ singers Deaths from cancer in Quebec Deaths from esophageal cancer in Canada French-language singers of Canada Members of the Order of Canada People from Thetford Mines Singers from Quebec