Catherine Ringer, the singer known as one half of the French rock band Les Rita Mitsouko, died on Monday, September 14, at the age of 68, her children announced. She had been suffering from cancer.
Tributes poured in from politicians and musicians across the political spectrum, honoring an artist and personality who had marked several generations of French people beyond the usual divides.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that she had turned her voice into theatre and every song into freedom. He described her as impossible to categorize, irreverent and deeply French, adding that she danced, she shone, and that she would be missed.
Culture Minister Catherine Pégard said that from "Marcia Baïla" to "Andy," Ringer's voice and her irresistible love of freedom had left their mark on French song and made whole generations dance.
Political tributes highlight her activism
National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet was among the first political figures to react, saying that from Les Rita Mitsouko to her solo career, free, bold and inimitable, Catherine Ringer had left her mark on French music.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure wrote simply on X that he felt immense sadness at the announcement of her death.
La France Insoumise MP for Seine-Saint-Denis Aurélie Trouvé described Ringer as an immense artist but also a tireless campaigner for women's rights and the right to abortion. Her European Parliament colleague Manon Aubry echoed that commitment, highlighting Ringer's refusal of the traditional presidential kiss after she performed a reworked version of "La Marseillaise" to mark the inclusion of abortion rights in the French constitution.
Musicians share their own tributes
Singer Benjamin Biolay wrote on Instagram, alongside the cover of the album The Non Comprendo, that nothing in French music was ever the same after that landmark record. He wished her rest in peace, said fans loved her deeply, called her a genius, and said the most important band in the history of French rock could now be reunited.
Singer Clara Luciani wrote in an Instagram story that French song had lost its unique and irreplaceable punk genius, adding that she would admire her forever.
Founding Les Rita Mitsouko
Catherine Ringer founded Les Rita Mitsouko in the early 1980s with her partner Fred Chichin. The duo became one of the most explosive acts in French rock, known for hits including "Andy," "C'est comme ça," "Les histoires d'amour finissent mal" and "Marcia Baïla," released in 1984.
After Chichin died of liver cancer in 2007 at the age of 53, Ringer launched a successful solo career that continued until her death.
