The father of Quebec show business, Guy Latraverse, has died

MONTREAL – Guy Latraverse, known in the arts community as the “father of Quebec show business”, died on Saturday at the age of 84.

The Canadian Press confirmed the news with two independent sources.

Latraverse launched the careers of a whole generation of artists, from singers who became legends to renowned comedians. He established himself in the cultural milieu as a young adult of 23, inventing the then non-existent profession of show producer.

Over the years, he was behind the Francofolies de Montréal, the Association de l’industrie du disque et du spectacle (ADISQ) and its televised gala, and galas for theater (La soirée des Masques), film (La soirée des Jutra) and comedy (Les Olivier).

The announcement of his death on Sunday evening prompted a flurry of praise, including from Premier François Legault, who called Latraverse one of the “great builders of the Quebec recording and entertainment industry”.

“A great impresario, but above all a man who thought big for our artists and our culture, at a time when everything still had to be done,” said Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe.

Over the course of his career, Guy Latraverse set up a network of venues for his artists’ tours, a route still used today. He also forged links between the cultural scenes of Quebec and France.

Among the artists he took under his wing, Claude Léveillée, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Robert Charlebois, Diane Dufresne, Louise Forestier and Yvon Deschamps are listed by the Ordre national du Québec, of which he was knighted in 2003, in his biography.

“If our entertainment industry is now a symbol of pride, it is in large part thanks to his work, which has been raised to an exemplary level of professionalism,” is the summary on the page dedicated to him on the website of the Ordre de Montréal, of which he was made an officer in 2020.

In addition to his significant contributions to Quebec’s cultural industry, Guy Latraverse was involved with the Revivre organization, now called Relief, to demystify bipolar disorder, an illness from which he suffered.

His mission was to encourage people with bipolar disorder to seek help.

“A monument”

Legendary photographer Pierre Dury had already cut his teeth in his profession when he met Guy Latraverse, while already working with Diane Dufresne.

It was “Monsieur” Latraverse, however, who “opened the doors of his stable” to him, leading him to immortalize moments with Robert Charlebois, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Claude Léveillée and Yvon Deschamps, to name but a few.

“There’s no doubt that he’s a monument, a giant, in the evolution of what we are,” Dury summed up in an interview with The Canadian Press.

In his opinion, it’s thanks to Latraverse’s hard work that certain artists have been able to break into the French market and achieve a whole new level of success.

But on a more personal note, Dury reiterated that Latraverse has always been a great help to him, and that it was thanks to him that he really “got into the business”.

“He’s always encouraged me, he’s always believed in me, so I’m not ashamed to say how much I admire him.”

Guy Latraverse is survived by his wife Monique, sisters Louise and Michèle, and children Zoé, Rose, Simon and Monica.

• -This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on October 15, 2023.