While the Québec flag was at half-mast outside of the Québec National Assembly, Mr. Serge Fiori’s national funeral took place at the Place-des-Arts in Montreal in collaboration with his family.
The ceremony consisted of a very beautiful 1.5-hour-long musical tribute, prepared in nine days only, filled with LOVE, talent, and deeply moving moments. Bambi took the time to follow it live on YouTube. She had tears in her eyes at several key moments while listening to Mr. Fiori’s close friends who honoured him. A particularly moving moment was when family members placed his ashes in the middle of the stage, next to his guitar. They also placed seven candles on stage. Bambi enjoyed each performance of Mr. Fiori’s peers, especially at the end of the ceremony when the audience stood up and everyone sang together “On a mis quelqu’un au monde, on devrait peut-être l’écouter“. Of note, Ms. Céline Dion participated in this touching moment by video.
Interestingly, Mr. Fiori had a great sense of humour and he was generous. For instance, he used to play the guitar on his balcony for pedestrians who stopped on the street to greet him. Another cute moment took place in Chicoutimi where Mr. Michel Barrette happened to be the only person in the audience during the rehearsal of a night show with Fiori’s group Harmonium. Mr. Barrette, in his early twenties then, got excited after the first song ended. When he applauded, Mr. Fiori asked him about his name. He kindly invited him to the show and to the lodge to have a beer with his group after the show. Wow! Thirty years later, they bumped into each other. They recalled the incident with humour and later even became friends.
As Mr. François Legault phrased it, Mr. Serge Fiori was “a musical genius” who made Québeckers proud. Indeed, what a highly talented and patriotic artist. What a loving man, human being, mentor (father!), and friend to so many Québeckers across generations.
Of note, Canadian politicians at all levels of government—federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal (federalists and sovereignists)— came together to pay tribute to Québec beloved “musical genius”, including his close friend Mr. Régis LaBaume. A federal politician, Mr. Pablo Rodriguez, told a reporter that he used to play his songs on his guitar. Mr. Serge Fiori unified everyone with his great music and beautiful lyrics. May his soul rest in peace. May his memory in heaven be as eternal as his phenomenal legacy on earth.
RIP