Death of Michel Blanc: “When he left, France…”, the bitter observation of Josiane Balasko

Thursday, January 2, 2025, Josiane Balasko gave an interview to Paris Match. Three months after the death of her long-time friend Michel Blanc, the actress made a bitter observation about the Splendid troupe and the French.

© BestImage Josiane Balasko spoke about the death of Michel Blanc.

IN BRIEF

• Michel Blanc died on October 3, 2024 in Paris at the age of 72 after Quincke's edema.
• Josiane Balasko expressed her sadness and the impact of his death on the French, emphasizing the importance of the Splendid.
• The disappearance of Michel Blanc recalls the importance of bonds and collective memory within the Splendid.

Three months have already passed since the sudden disappearance of the actor… Thursday, October 3, 2024, Michel Blanc died at the age of 72 at hospital Saint-Antoine, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. Shortly after his arrival at a radiology office as part of a routine examination, the actor suffered from Quincke's edema. He then unfortunately succumbed to his 6th cardiac arrest, as reported by Marianne magazine.

Josiane Balasko quickly expressed her grief by mentioning the disappearance of her long-time friend. Thursday, December 26, 2024, for Midi Libre, the actress revealed that she was touched by the way Michel Blanc's death had impacted the French. “Yes, this bastard left us on a misunderstanding, we heard it ten times, but it's true and it was terrible, it was a very, very bad joke that he played on us. What touched us was seeing the number of people who were waiting in front of the church. Even now, people tell us ‘we're sorry, my condolences’, for them it's family”, she said.

Josiane Balasko: “France has remembered that everyone knew us”

Émoved, the actress added: “He pulled the stunt on us by leaving first, on a terrible, stupid accident, we say to ourselves that we need to see each other more often (the Splendid troupe, editor's note), now, to avoid ending up in the cemetery”.

Thursday, January 2, 2025, Josiane Balasko spoke once again to discuss the disappearance of her friend. “When he left, France remembered that everyone knew us”, she assured. Asked about the role of the Splendid in understanding contemporary society, she specified then: “When I write, I don't ask myself if I understand people. I first try to talk about things that touch me. Afterwards, it works or not. With the Splendid, our way of playing, of writing, certainly corresponded to an era, but it has stood the test of time”.

Gérard Jugnot: “We'll never do anything again together”

Thursday, November 21, 2024, on the occasion of the release of the book Le Splendid by Le Splendid, we had so much fun, Josiane Balasko, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte and Bruno Moynot went up on stage at the Théâtre du Splendid to answer questions from Elise Lucet. Moved, Gérard Jugnot deplored : “We didn't see each other much, he's not missed in everyday life, but he is missed in the idea that we'll never do anything together again”.

Éevoking Michel Blanc's funeral, Thierry Lhermitte had confided to his turn: “It was absurd to think that he was in that box, frankly, he was with us“, before Bruno Moynot added: “Yes, we had the impression that he was aligned with us in the church“.