Dédé Fortin
Encyclopedia
André "Dédé" Fortin was the leader and singer of the Québecois band
Les Colocs
, formed in 1990.
, in the rural Lac-Saint-Jean
region of Quebec. He was the tenth of eleven children. When he was eight, the family moved to Normandin
, but he always valued his native village. Fortin attended public schools and studied cinema at the Université de Montréal
with his friend Éric Henry.
and a couple of the other band members. They released their first album in 1993 to great acclaim. Les Colocs' festive melodies often hid the more serious issues which Fortin addressed in his lyrics, such as poverty (Passe-moé la puck), loss of community (La rue principale), emotional dependence (Juste une p'tite nuite), or drug dependence (Tassez-vous de d'là
). Fortin made Félix Award
-winning videos for the group during this period.
He was a passionate believer in Quebec independence. An activist for the OUI («Yes») side, Fortin worked to create support for independence during the campaign of the 1995 Quebec referendum
. The band performed at partisan meetings. The death in 1994 of bandmate Patrick Esposito Di Napoli
from AIDS
affected him deeply. Fortin struggled with depression
during the following years.
Dehors Novembre (1998), the last LP from the group, was written and performed with the help of the Diouf brothers
, whose background from Senegal added a new element to the band's music. It has become Fortin and the band's most celebrated work, and it won the Félix Award
for the Rock Album of the Year.
, a kind of disembowelment
. A friend found him in a pool of blood. Four days afterwards, fans left flowers and messages in his memory at his building on Rachel Street, in the Plateau neighborhood of Montreal
. Others criticized his act; one writer in Le Devoir
said that he was "not a hero."
The day before, the Colocs manager Raymond Paquin had received a poem by Fortin. He published it posthumously in La Presse. In part the poem read: Condemned by doubt, immobile and timorous; I am like my people, indecisive and a dreamer; I speak to whomever wants to hear of my fictive country, my heart full of vertigo
and consumed by fear. Several years later, the remaining members of the band adapted it as a song, which they released in 2009.
Fortin has been remembered in different ways:
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Les Colocs
Les Colocs
-External links:**Extensive French Wikipedia Les Colocs information***...
, formed in 1990.
Early life
Fortin was born to Alfred Fortin and Gisèle Tremblay on a farm near the small village of Saint-Thomas-DidymeSaint-Thomas-Didyme, Quebec
Saint-Thomas-Didyme is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located within the regional county municipality of Maria-Chapdelaine. The municipality had a population of 708 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Demographics:Population trend:...
, in the rural Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region...
region of Quebec. He was the tenth of eleven children. When he was eight, the family moved to Normandin
Normandin, Quebec
Normandin is a city located on the west side of Lac Saint-Jean in the Canadian province of Quebec.Normandin is name after the surveyor Joseph-Laurent Normandin. Its history of European-Canadian settlement began in 1878 when the first pioneers arrived. Alphonse Laliberté was elected as Normandin's...
, but he always valued his native village. Fortin attended public schools and studied cinema at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
with his friend Éric Henry.
Les Colocs
Fortin was long interested in music and started writing lyrics. In 1990, he formed Les Colocs, after meeting Patrick Esposito Di NapoliPatrick Esposito Di Napoli
Patrick Esposito Di Napoli was a musician and member of the Quebec musical band Les Colocs, for which he played harmonica.-Early life and education:...
and a couple of the other band members. They released their first album in 1993 to great acclaim. Les Colocs' festive melodies often hid the more serious issues which Fortin addressed in his lyrics, such as poverty (Passe-moé la puck), loss of community (La rue principale), emotional dependence (Juste une p'tite nuite), or drug dependence (Tassez-vous de d'là
Tassez-vous de d'là
Tassez-vous de d’là is a song by the Quebec band Les Colocs. The lyrics were written by Dédé Fortin, with a chorus in Wolof written by Senegalese immigrant El Hadji Diouf; the music was written by Dédé Fortin and André "Vander" Vanderbiest....
). Fortin made Félix Award
Félix Award
The Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois...
-winning videos for the group during this period.
He was a passionate believer in Quebec independence. An activist for the OUI («Yes») side, Fortin worked to create support for independence during the campaign of the 1995 Quebec referendum
1995 Quebec referendum
The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
. The band performed at partisan meetings. The death in 1994 of bandmate Patrick Esposito Di Napoli
Patrick Esposito Di Napoli
Patrick Esposito Di Napoli was a musician and member of the Quebec musical band Les Colocs, for which he played harmonica.-Early life and education:...
from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
affected him deeply. Fortin struggled with depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
during the following years.
Dehors Novembre (1998), the last LP from the group, was written and performed with the help of the Diouf brothers
Diouf
Diouf is a typical patronym of Senegalese Serer origin carried by several personalities:* Abdou Diouf , second president of Senegal, current Secretary-General of La Francophonie* El Hadji Diouf , Senegalese footballer...
, whose background from Senegal added a new element to the band's music. It has become Fortin and the band's most celebrated work, and it won the Félix Award
Félix Award
The Félix Award is a music award, given on an annual basis to artists in the Canadian province of Quebec.The first Félix awards were presented on September 23, 1979, by the Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois...
for the Rock Album of the Year.
Death and legacy
In 2000 Fortin was said to have been saddened by the break-up of a relationship. On 8 May 2000, he committed suicide at his apartment by the Japanese ritual of seppukuSeppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
, a kind of disembowelment
Disembowelment
Disembowelment is the removal of some or all of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract , usually through a horizontal incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment may result from an accident, but has also been used as a method of torture and execution...
. A friend found him in a pool of blood. Four days afterwards, fans left flowers and messages in his memory at his building on Rachel Street, in the Plateau neighborhood of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Others criticized his act; one writer in Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
said that he was "not a hero."
The day before, the Colocs manager Raymond Paquin had received a poem by Fortin. He published it posthumously in La Presse. In part the poem read: Condemned by doubt, immobile and timorous; I am like my people, indecisive and a dreamer; I speak to whomever wants to hear of my fictive country, my heart full of vertigo
Vertigo
Vertigo is a form of dizziness.Vertigo may also refer to:* Vertigo , a 1958 film by Alfred Hitchcock**Vertigo , its soundtrack** Vertigo effect, or Dolly zoom, a special effect in film, named after the movie...
and consumed by fear. Several years later, the remaining members of the band adapted it as a song, which they released in 2009.
Fortin has been remembered in different ways:
- St-Thomas-Dydime, where Dédé Fortin was born, renamed Rang Saint-Henri as "Chemin Dédé-Fortin" in his honor in 2006.
- In 2009, a film about Fortin's life, entitled Dédé à travers les brumes (Dédé through the mist), was released.
- The Fondation Andre Dédé Fortin was established to educate about depression and prevent suicides; it has established a 24-hour crisis line and conducts workshops to help people in need.
See also
- List of people from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
- List of Quebec musicians
- List of Quebec film directors
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
- Quebec sovereignty movementQuebec sovereignty movementThe Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...