Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian musician, dies at 89: Celine Dion pays tribute

Renowned Canadian singer and songwriter Jean-Pierre Ferland, the recipient of both the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, has died at the age of 89. His cause of death was announced as natural causes. 

Ferland had been an enduring feature of the Canadian music scene, having released 30 albums in his lifetime and an impressive 450 songs after his humble beginnings at the announcers' office at Radio-Canada, where he was a schedule clerk at the end of the 1950s.

The musician moved to Europe in 1962 to cut his teeth as a musician, performing across venues mainly in France and Belgium, where he earned the Academie Charles Cros Award in 1968, two years before releasing the album Jaune, which sold 60,000 copies within a year and has since become one of the most important records in Quebec and Canadian music history.

In 1976, Ferland was one of five performers who participated in a massive outdoor concert for the National Holiday on June 21 in Quebec and on June 23 in Montreal, titled 1 fois 5. The other performers were Claude Léveillée, Gilles Vigneault, Robert Charlebois, and Yvon Deschamps. An album with the same name was released later that year, and in 1977 it was awarded the Académie Charles Cros Award.

He followed this up in the 1980s Ferland combined songwriting and touring with a career as a television presenter for several popular shows: Station Soleil (Radio Québec, 1981–1987), Tapis Rouge (SRC, 1986), L'Autobus du Showbusiness (SRC, 1987) and Ferland/Nadeau (Télé-Métropole, 1990).

On October 12, 2006, Jean-Pierre Ferland suffered a stroke caused by fatigue and stress. As a result, he had to cancel his final concert at the Bell Centre, which was scheduled for the following day. However, he recovered quickly and was able to give his farewell concert on January 13, 2007. After retiring from the spotlight, Ferland made a special appearance on the Plains of Abraham to perform with Céline Dion on August 22, 2008.

Celine Dion pays tribute to Jean-Pierre Ferland

Tributes have been paid from a who’s who of Canadian musical talent, including Celine Dion, who took to social media to pay tribute to the musician.

She wrote: "Jean-Pierre Ferland was a French-Canadian poet and songwriter, showman and television host, a true gentleman who loved women, writing hundreds of songs that became part of our lives. Two of them were written for me, creating a strong connection between us. I here pay tribute to his passing using words chosen from these songs.

“Rest in peace dear friend, you will forever remain in my heart…"