Thousands of people gathered in and around the Bell Center on Tuesday evening to pay tribute to a great artist in Quebec music. Cowboys Fringants singer Karl Tremblay, who died of prostate cancer last week at the age of 47, will be honored at a national honors ceremony.
6:50 p.m. | “What we admired about Karl was his ability to speak to us about our society in a very eloquent way,” says Pascale St-Onges, Minister of Canadian Heritage.
6:45 p.m. | “Karl Tremblay embodies who we are in Quebec,” said Sonia Bélanger, Minister of Seniors. “All Quebecers recognized themselves in his songs and in his way of interpreting his songs.”
6:39 p.m. | “It is remarkable how he has managed to transcend generations, I am happy to be able to pay tribute to him,” says Pascale Déry, elected representative of the Repentigny constituency.
6:32 p.m. | “It’s as if Quebecers have lost someone from their close family,” says François Legault, who has just arrived at the Bell Centre. Recall that the Prime Minister of Quebec had proposed a national funeral to the family of the Cowboys Fringants singer, who instead opted for a tribute ceremony.
6:23 p.m | “No matter what political color we are, the Fringants Cowboys make us want to change the things around us,” said Mathieu Lacombe upon his arrival at the Bell Center
The ceremony will be presented at 7:30 p.m. to 14,000 people who managed to get a ticket to the event, as well as live on the group’s Facebook page.
• Also read: Cowboys Fringants fans say goodbye to Karl Tremblay
• Also read: Artists, politicians and dignitaries pay tribute to Karl Tremblay of the Cowboys Fringants
The tribute begins with a performance by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. A member of the group is then asked to testify. The finale is the screening of “America is Crying – The Movie”.
A meeting is also planned in L’Assomption, the town where Karl Tremblay and his family lived.
More details to follow.