That was Lee Halliday, the “father of heart” by Johnny Hallyday ? – Gala

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Lee Halliday was the “dad’s heart” by Johnny Hallyday, with whom the young boy lacks a father figure has grown. It is after him that the singer chose his stage name.

The relationship between Johnny Hallyday and Léon Smet, was very complicated. The father of rocker has been largely absentfrom his childhood, it was abandoned six months after his birth. In the 1960s, his hope of building a relationship with his dad takes a fatal blow : so that he performs his military service in Germany, he warns against the presence of Léon Smet. Filled with hope, he rushes to meet her… and found himself nose to nose with his father as well as a horde of photographers. He has set a trap, which mark in iron red on the rocker. Thereafter, it tries again, despite everything, to get closer to his sire, to no avail. Léon Smet has finished his life of a vagabond and an alcoholic. On the death of his father, Johnny Hallyday was alone at her funeral.

His mother forced to work to meet the needs of the family, the rock legend, French grew up in Paris with his aunt, Hélène Mar, and of his two daughters, Desta and Menen. At the end of the 1940s, while Johnny Hallyday is still a child, his cousins embrace the careers of the dancers and made their way to London. Desta met, and then married Lee Lemoine Ketcham, an american dancer who wears as stage name Lee Halliday. In lack of father figure, the little boy takes the affection for this cousin by marriage, he considered to be his ” daddy heart “. Desta and Lee form a duo, ” Halliday’s “, occurring in the whole of Europe, taking the young singer under their wing.

When the one who was still Jean-Philippe Smet began his career, he chose, naturally, as the name “Halliday” and as the first name ” Johnny “, because it is like this that the american dancer was affectionately known. As a result of an error on the cover of their first 45 tour, “Halliday” becomes ” Hallyday “. Thus, when the first tele of the singer, Line Renaud explained to France that the father of this singer shy at the age of 17 years was an american… this is ultimately not so far from the truth.

Photo credits : PARIS-DAY/SIPA

Johnny Hallyday

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