French journalist and radio host Philippe Bouvard has died at the age of 96, broadcaster RTL announced on Monday. He had spent nearly 40 years at the helm of the show "Les Grosses Têtes" on the station.
Bouvard had announced his retirement in January 2025, at the age of 95, after a career spanning 60 years.
RTL morning host Celine Landreau told listeners they had learned of the death of Philippe Bouvard, calling him a historic and emblematic face and voice of RTL and of "Les Grosses Têtes." She said he had passed away peacefully that morning at around 8 a.m., adding that she had been informed by the host's wife.
A 'master' of radio
Straddling journalism and entertainment, Bouvard created the now legendary daily programme "Les Grosses Têtes" in 1977 and hosted it himself before reluctantly handing over the reins in September 2014. At the time, he told listeners on air that they would be missed, saying they represented more than half of his professional life and probably its happiest part.
Laurent Ruquier, who succeeded him as host of "Les Grosses Têtes," told RTL that Bouvard was a master, a master for him in the profession and for many others. Ruquier said Bouvard had created impertinence, not only in radio but even before that, in television. Fellow broadcaster Michel Drucker said on RTL that Bouvard would leave an indelible mark.
A media all-rounder
Bouvard was known for his prolific media career. From 1982 to 1987 he presented "Le Petit Theatre de Bouvard" on French television channel Antenne 2, a sketch show that helped launch a generation of new comedians, including Muriel Robin, Pascal Legitimus, Mimie Mathy, and the duo Chevallier and Laspalles.
Bouvard was born on 6 December 1929 in Coulommiers, in the Seine-et-Marne region of France, to a couple of small shopkeepers. He joined the newspaper Le Figaro in 1952 as an errand boy and rose through the ranks there before moving to France Soir in 1973.
His bond with listeners
In late 2024, speaking on RTL, Bouvard reflected on his relationship with his audience. He said he would like them to know he had shared a special bond with them, one created by the voice that is not always created by reading, and that speaking to people means giving them a part of yourself and growing closer to them.
