Mourners fill Montreal Cathedral for the funeral of Quebec music star Jean-Pierre Ferland

MONTREAL — Artists, politicians and fans of Quebec's music scene flocked to a Montreal cathedral on Saturday to pay their final respects to Jean-Pierre Ferland, a folk music luminary whose French-language compositions made him a popular figure throughout the province.

The artist died of natural causes on April 27 at the age of 89 after several months in hospital.

As the provincial flag flew at half-mast in front of Parliament in Quebec City, hundreds of mourners dressed in yellow gathered for an official memorial service at Our Lady of Cleansing the World Cathedral in the city center to honor Ferland's classic album “Jaune.”

At the beginning of the ceremony, an urn containing the singer's remains was carried into the church, accompanied by a violin and cello arrangement of his 1968 classic “Je reviens chez nous”.

Quebec Prime Minister François Legault was the first to express his respect.

“Jean-Pierre Ferland was a genius of words and music, a genius who touched the lives of Quebecers,” he said.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Legault said, describing the impact of “Jaune.” “I was thirteen at the time and for us it was a revolution. It was as good as the Beatles, but it was in French and it was Quebec.”

The mourners also heard from Julie Anne Saumur, Ferland's wife of sixteen years.

“Jean-Pierre loved his fans and I was his biggest,” she said.

Fighting back tears and wearing a yellow flower on her lapel, Julie Ferland, the late singer's daughter, described her father as a “firework,” someone who shone “big, strong and bright” in her eyes.

“I consider it a privilege to have experienced the most beautiful moments at his side,” she said.

Film director Pierre Séguin thanked Ferland for his kindness and attention to his colleagues and crew, from technicians to producers, during his years of working in television.

Fellow Francophone music legend Ginette Reno joined the ceremony via videoconference and crowned the musical performances with a rendition of Ferland’s “Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin,” her voice echoing through the loudspeakers before the mass came to an end.

Pianist and composer François Cousineau, who had frequently collaborated with Ferland and produced his 1992 album “Bleu, Blanc, Blues,” was another musician who performed at the funeral.

In an interview before the service, Cousineau described Ferland as a charming friend with a great sense of humor.

“He is one of the greatest,” said Cousineau. “He was a poet of love and a poet of life, that's how I would put it, because what he wanted most in life was to be loved.”

Danick Trottier, a music professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, said Ferland is Quebec's Joni Mitchell or Neil Young, both singer-songwriters known for their music as well as their lyrics.

While he focused exclusively on making music during the first decades of his career, Ferland became better known as an artist in later years through appearances on various television shows, including the Quebec version of the reality show “The Voice.”

During this phase, Ferland became sympathetic to Quebecers, says Trottier.

“In the '80s and '90s, he became a major figure in Quebec show business, and then people started to love him and say, 'This is our favorite singer,'” Trottier said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2024.

Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press