Catherine Ringer, the voice of Les Rita Mitsouko, has died. She was 68

Catherine Ringer, singer of the French duo Les Rita Mitsouko, has died at the age of 68. Her death was announced to the newspaper Le Figaro on Tuesday, September 15, by her manager. According to the family's statement, she succumbed on the night of September 14 to a cancer that progressed extremely rapidly. The singer had cancelled several concerts during the summer for health reasons, but nothing about her condition became public. Le Figaro ↗

In their statement, the family called her "a major French artist and one half of Rita Mitsouko," who "with her voice and songs, her great freedom and uniqueness, marked several generations." She was born on October 18, 1957, in a suburb of Paris, the daughter of an architect and a painter who, as a Jew, had survived deportation. She left school at fifteen and tried various artistic paths. In 1979, at a theater, she met guitarist Fred Chichin, who became her life partner and creative collaborator for decades to come. Le Figaro ↗

The duo initially performed as Rita Mitsouko. The French definite article "Les" was added to the name in 1985, after people began to think it was the singer's own name. Great success came with the song Marcia Baïla, produced by Conny Plank, which reached number two on the French charts. It is a tribute to dancer and choreographer Marcia Moretto, with whom Ringer had studied in the 1970s and with whom she had performed. The album The No Comprendo (1986), produced by Tony Visconti, brought the hits C'est comme ça and Andy. Visconti was also behind the following album, Marc & Robert (1988). Sparks sang with them on Marc & Robert, and on the album Système D (1993) Ringer sang the duet My Love Is Bad with Iggy Pop. Wikipedia ↗

The band's videos in the 1980s were directed mainly by Jean-Baptiste Mondino; the video for Marcia Baïla was shot by Philippe Gautier. Jean-Luc Godard used footage from the recording of The No Comprendo in his film Soigne ta droite (1987), and the music video for Y'a d'la haine received MTV Europe's award for video of the year in 1993. The duo's final album, Variéty, was released in 2007 in both French and English versions, produced by Mark Plati, with a guest appearance by Serj Tankian of System of a Down. Wikipedia ↗

Le Figaro also recalls other hits the duo released over the decades: Les Histoires d'A, Y'a d'la haine and Les Amants. Le Figaro ↗

Fred Chichin died of cancer in November 2007, just two months after his diagnosis. Ringer then completed the tour under her own name and embarked on a solo career. Wikipedia ↗ In 2011 she released the album Ring n' Roll, followed in 2011 and 2012 by the singles Pardon, Vive l'amour and Prends-moi. With Eduardo Makaroff and Christoph H. Müller of Gotan Project, she founded the tango project Plaza Francia; their 2014 album A New Tango Song Book was a critical and audience success in France and Belgium. Wikipedia ↗

After the announcement of her death, a wave of tributes rose in France. Les Inrocks lists among those bidding her farewell Étienne Daho, Elli Medeiros, Benjamin Biolay, Christine and the Queens, Clara Luciani, Alex Beaupain, Bernard Lavilliers and Sparks. Biolay, whom the news reached in Argentina, wrote: "After The No Comprendo, that huge album, nothing in French music was ever the same again. Rest in peace, Queen Catherine Ringer. […] The most important band in the history of French rock can get back together again." Les Inrocks ↗

Emmanuel de Buretel, founder of the label Because, who had looked after Les Rita Mitsouko since the days of Virgin France, praised in her "a rare combination of improvisation and work, of reassessing her own output and taking risks." According to him, she proceeded with complete freedom and never tried to be opportunistic or to follow fashion. With her unmistakable voice she was able to sing rock with Rita Mitsouko just as she sang tango with the trio Plaza Francia. Les Inrocks ↗

In 2020, she herself admitted to Les Inrocks that even after all those years she was never entirely sure she was a genuine artist. "Given how long the success has lasted, I often meet people who thank me and encourage me to keep going. And then I tell myself I won't stop," she said. Les Inrocks ↗

On SuperMusic.cz you can find the lyrics to Marcia Baïla, C'est comme ça and Andy by Les Rita Mitsouko, as well as three of Catherine Ringer's solo songs: Pardon, Vive l'amour and Prends-moi.



Illustrative photo: Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin with Les Rita Mitsouko at the Eurockéennes festival in 2007. Photo: Rama / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr