Pierre Bergé : death of a fighter of aids

BALTEL/SIPA

Published the 08.09.2017 at 12: 15 pm

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He was 86 years old and a busy life. Pierre Bergé passed away this Friday at 5h39, at his home in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’azur), as a result of his long illness, myopathy. The businessman ran for the past 40 years the house of couture Yves Saint Laurent, which he had co-founded with the one who partageât his life for many years. He was also the chairman of the supervisory board of Le Monde group since 2010.

Pierre Bergé was an activist in the cause of gay and the fight against HIV. With Line Renaud, he created in 1994, the association against aids, which has become Sidaction. At the time, he was one of the most active cultural associations in the fight against the disease in Europe.

“A political struggle”

Pierre Bergé has held for years the homosexual magazine Têtu. It has also supported the association Act Up and is engaged at the sides of SOS-Racism. During the debate on marriage for all, he blasted the protesters from The Manif for all and displayed his support to the Taubira law. More recently, he produced the film 120 beats per minute, which traces the struggle of activists from Act Up.

“Tireless fighter for the first time, it has, tirelessly, always reminded, hammered, the fight against aids is a fight that is eminently political, written Sidaction in a press release. Unyielding, he has always defended the freedom of love, such as it is, and has championed the rights of minorities, of homosexuals, sex workers, drug users and all people living with HIV. He did not cease not to commit to Africa, speaking tirelessly of the fighting conducted by the association in many countries, Burundi in particular. Sidaction will have to heart to fight this fight “.

The man is shown by the strength of his fervent battle in favour of equal gay rights and against aids. At the risk, sometimes, to go beyond certain lines : it had taken the controversial comments on the Telethon, whom he accused of ” vampirism “, “demagogy” and of ” misuse of the generosity of the public “.

Pierre Bergé has also marked the spirits by his political commitment alongside François Mitterrand, which he fervently supported. In 2007, he played an active role in the campaign of Ségolène Royal, and advocates for Bertrand Delanoë in the municipal elections in paris, 2001 and 2008. In 2017, he displayed his support to Emmanuel Macron.

Invested in media, Pierre Bergé founded the international Mail and Globe. He was also a shareholder of the Pink TV and the World since 2010, alongside Matthieu Pigasse and Xavier Niel.

Patron, it disappears a few weeks before the inauguration of two museums dedicated to the work of his former assistant Yves Saint Laurent – one in Paris and the other in Marrakech.