Canadian singer Raymond Levesque passes away at 92 after contracting Covid-19

Canadian singer-songwriter Raymond Levesque, whose 1956 classic song Quand les hommes vivront d'amour ("When Men Live by Love"), written during the Algerian War of Independence from France, was an international hit, has died at the age of 92 after contracting Covid-19, Canadian media reported on Monday. Poet, novelist, playwright and actor, Levesque composed hundreds of songs that became part of the fabric of Canada's music and culture. 

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Trudeau mourns Raymond Levesque's death

The singer has previously refused the Governor General’s Award when it was offered to him in 2005 because it represented the British monarchy in Canada. He was committed to getting Quebec independence and freedom.

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Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Quebec Francois Legault and the Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault were among many others who took to Twitter to extend their condolences to Raymond Levesque's family and praise the artist's work. Take a look at some of the tweets below:

Raymond Levesque's legacy

Raymond was born in Montreal has always been highly inspired by the work of French songwriter Charles Trenet. He began to write songs in the 1940s while drawing inspiration from his idol. He stepped into the limelight when he received an invitation to perform some of his songs on the radio flagship of Canadians in Montreal - CKAC radio. 

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Raymond has written over 100 songs in his career and his other popular songs are  Les Trottoirs, La Vénus à Mimile, Le Coeur du Bon Dieu and Rosemont sous la pluie. Raymond has also received a lifetime achievement award in 1980 for his contribution to music. Raymond had gone deaf in 1986 after which he stopped singing and started writing poetries and scripts for theatre. He last penned the song Les jours d'amour in 2016. Singer Marie-Josée Longchamps was the one who lent her vocals to Raymond's last song. Canadian media reported Raymond Levesque's death on February 15 due to Covid -19.

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