Host Paul Houde died “unexpectedly” on Saturday from complications following brain surgery, his family said. He was 69 years old.
Published at 1:45 p.m. Updated at 3:09 p.m.
“It is with a broken heart that I announce the death of my beloved brother Paul. He left us unexpectedly but gently, this Saturday morning, March 2nd, at around 5:00 p.m.,” announced Pierre Houde.
Paul Houde recently underwent successful major surgery to remove a mass from his brain. “Unfortunately, his heart suddenly stopped due to complications,” his son Karl Houde said on Facebook.
“We immediately understand the deep affection you all had for Paul and we are touched by it, believe us.” But in the circumstances and given the sudden nature of his departure, we would appreciate you respecting our family's privacy could,” his son added.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION
Paul Houde and Roc Lafortune in Les Boys, 1997
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Paul Houde surrounded by actors Luc Guérin, Réal Béland, Michel Charette, Pierre Lebeau and Rémy Girard during the filming of the television series Les Boys in 2007
PHOTO RÉMI LEMÉE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Paul Houde and Charles Lafortune on the set of the play Le Cercle in 2005
PHOTO ROBERT MAILLOUX, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Paul Houde at the launch of the Rythme FM Montréal program in 2003
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An animator's talent
Paul Houde was born in Saint-Laurent to a saxophonist and a housewife and grew up with his brother Pierre and sister Johanne in Laval, where he always lived.
A first-generation academic, he graduated from the University of Montreal, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1979 in another field he was passionate about: geography.
At the same time, he took his first steps on campus as a communicator, as a student representative in the mid-1970s. At that time, president of the alumni association, but above all program director of the then very popular radio station CKAC 730, Pierre Robert recognized his talent and invited him to audition.
Paul Houde hosted his first night show there on May 4, 1975, before switching to the morning show ten weeks later.
From this point on he began to take part in several variety shows on Radio-Canada, TVA and Télé-Québec, among others. In 1997 he was then recruited by Stéphane Laporte for the show La fin du monde est à 7 Heures, hosted by Marc Labrèche. He will appear in more than 400 episodes.
In the same year he can be seen in the film Les Boys with the character of goalkeeper Fernand “Fern” Rivest.
An abrupt farewell
At 98.5 FM, Paul Houde hosted the shows MontréalNow and LeQuébecNow from 2007. While still under the Cogeco banner, he was also the morning man at Rythme FM.
Between autumn 2019 and spring 2022, he was at the helm of Les Week-ends de Paul Houde before seeing the channel end the collaboration, a decision that he respected but did not understand.
Since then he has made regular appearances in various shows, including La jour (est encore jeunesse) at ICI Première.
Last October, mid-season, Paul Houde abruptly left as host of his morning radio show Club du Matin at BPM Sports, where he worked with Gilbert Delorme, Anthony Desaulniers and Kathrine Huet.
“I underestimated the demands of the morning show and therefore could not receive a product that met my expectations. Therefore, I asked BPM Sports to review my commitments and they agreed for us to work together on other projects,” he said in a press release at the time.
“What a nice man in public and in private. As a long-time radio host, it was always nice to do an interview with him. I have such funny memories of his exchanges with Marc Labrèche and his character “Fern” in “The Boys.” As a numbers fan, he was the perfect commentator for the Olympics. My condolences go out to his family and loved ones,” said Quebec Prime Minister François Legault on X.