Cloclo: The Legend of Jean François

Egypt, 1949. At the age of 10, Claude Francois was already dreaming of a singing career, while his father, who worked for the Suez Canal Company, hoped Claude would follow in his footsteps. Expelled from the country in the wake of the nationalization of the canal by the Nasser government, the François family took refuge in Monaco, where Claude, always working on perfecting his musical training, was hired as a drummer in a jazz band. Outraged, his father disowned him. When the latter died in 1961, the young man moved to Paris with his mother and sister and, through sheer determination, managed to break into the world of show business. Claude enjoyed phenomenal popularity. At the age of 30, he co-wrote and recorded the song "Comme d'habitude," which went on to become a huge hit. It was then translated into English by Paul Anka and recorded by Frank Sinatra under the title "My Way." Unfortunately, Claude's love life wasn't as successful, due to his jealous nature and narcissistic temperament. He went through an acrimonious divorce, followed by a stormy affair with French singer France Gall. In 1978, just two years after his song "Le Telephone Pleure" ("The Telephone is Crying") made the U.K. charts and two months after he performed a concert for an audience of 6,000 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, fate struck.