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Bertrand Cantat

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Bertrand Cantat
Cantat in 2014
Cantat in 2014
Background information
Birth nameBertrand Lucien Bruno Cantat
Born (1964-03-05) 5 March 1964 (age 61)
Pau, France
GenresRock, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instrument(s)Harmonica, guitar
Years active1980–present
LabelsBarclay
Websitebertrandcantat.com

Bertrand Lucien Bruno Cantat (French pronunciation: [bɛʁtʁɑ̃ lysjɛ̃ bʁyno kɑ̃ta], Occitan: [kanˈtat]; born 5 March 1964) is a French singer, songwriter and convicted murderer, known for being the former frontman of the rock band Noir Désir. In 2003, he was proven guilty without a doubt and convicted of the murder ("murder with indirect intent" – dolus eventualis) of French actress Marie Trintignant, which occurred in a hotel room in Vilnius.[1] To some controversy, Cantat returned to Noir Désir after his release from prison in 2007, playing with the group until it disbanded in 2010.[2] He subsequently formed a musical duo with Pascal Humbert, calling themselves Détroit.

Early life

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Cantat was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The son of a navy officer, he spent his childhood in Le Havre. His family moved when he was an adolescent to Bordeaux.[citation needed] At the lycée Saint-Genès, he met Denis Barthe [fr], Serge Teyssot-Gay, and Frédéric Vidalenc [fr], who soon became members of his band.[citation needed]

Music career

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Noir Désir 1990-2010

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At the height of Noir Désir's success in the 1990s, Cantat was a prominent figure in French music.[3][4] Noir Désir is regarded "to have made the history of the French rock scene for three decades".[4] He was known for the quality of his lyrics,[4] charisma, and live performances, often compared to Jim Morrison of the Doors.[5]

In 2003, Cantant was arrested for beating his girlfriend, Marie Trintignant, who died five days later in hospital. He was then charged with first degree murder. Following his guilty sentence of manslaughter in 2004, Cantant was sentenced to eight years in a Lithuanian prison,[6] but would eventually be transferred back to France.[7] He was released on probation in 2007.[8]

In October 2010, three months after his probational status of release was lifted[9] and his sentence declared completed, Cantat resumed his musical career with a gig in Bordeaux. His re-entry into the public eye upset women's rights campaigners and victim support groups.[10] On 30 November 2010, Noir Désir announced that it would split up for good.[11] Cantat has continued as a solo musician.[citation needed]

Going solo, 2011–2013

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Wajdi Mouawad

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In early 2011, Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad chose Cantat to sing in his production in Montreal of a Sophocles cycle, entitled Chœurs. This sparked public criticism due to Cantat's murder conviction. Politicians proposed to ban Cantat's entry into the country, as Canada's immigration legislation bars from entry anyone convicted abroad of a crime which is punishable in Canada by a maximum term of at least ten years in prison, until at least five years have passed since the end of the complete sentence handed down. Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment in Canada.[citation needed]

Chœurs

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In April 2011, the artistic director of Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Lorraine Pintal, announced that Cantat would not be performing in Chœurs.[12] Wajdi Mouawad responded to the controversy by publishing an open letter to his three-year-old daughter Aimee in the newspaper Le Devoir, in which he argued for Cantat's right to full reintegration into society.[13]

In November 2011, Cantat released the album Chœurs, composed for Mouawad's namesake production with musicians Pascal Humbert, Bernard Falaise [fr], and Alexander MacSween [fr].[citation needed]

Détroit

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In November 2013, Cantat released the album Horizons, credited to his duo Détroit with Pascal Humbert on Barclay Records label. The first single, titled "Droit dans le soleil", had been released on 30 September 2013.[14]

2014-present

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In 2018, Bertrant was set to appear in a string of festivals. In response to the news, a petition to remove him from the Normandy festivals was spread online, gaining almost 75,000 signatures. The petition stated that by inviting him, they "trivialise domestic violence and violence against women." He pulled out of all festival appearances.[15]

Murder of Marie Trintignant

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Murder

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In 2002, Cantat began an affair with French actress Marie Trintignant after meeting at his concert. In 2003, The two were in Vilnius, Lithuania, while Trintignant was filming the television movie, Colette, une femme libre.[16]

On July 27, local authorities received a call from Trintignant's brother, Vincent, to Cantat and Trintignant's Vilnius hotel room.[17] According to Cantat, the previous night, Trintignant received a text from her estranged husband, Samuel Benchetrit and the two began arguing.[18] In initial interviews with authorities, Cantat claimed that she became physical and he hit her in response, accidentally knocking her down to hit her head on the radiator.[19] He claimed he put her bed around 1AM and called her ex for advice. After speaking to him, he called Vincent to come over. After reviewing the situation and realizing she would not wake, Vincent decided to call the police.[20][21]

Trintignant was taken to a local hospital, where she had two operations performed. After four days, severely injured and still in a deep coma, her parents had her transferred back to Paris. She died of a cerebral edema the following day, August 1.[22] Trintignant was 41 at the time of her death and left four young sons.[23] Cantat was detained by the police upon their initial arrival, where he gave his inital claims of the accident story.[19]

The post-mortem examination suggested that Cantat had inflicted 19 blows to Trintignant's head, causing irreversible brain damage.[24] A separate French inquiry determined the she died from violent shaking and severe, repeated blows.[25]

Trial

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Cantant was charged with first degree murder and faced up to fifteen years in prison.[26]

The defense portrayed her death as a crime of passion and a "tragic accident," which carries a lighter sentence in Lithuania.[22] They argued that Trintignant became enraged during their fight, yelling at him to leave back to his wife. Cantat claimed he "slapped" Trintignant four times after she attacked him and threw her onto a sofa before leaving the room. He would later clean her blood and put her to bed, claiming to believe she was just in a deep sleep.[27][28] Krisztina Rády, Cantat's estranged wife, testified that he was "very good and very gentle." She denied he had ever been violent towards her.[29]

The prosecution's argument was that Cantat became enraged by the text and the argument, before severely beating Trintignant. They also cited Cantat's failure to call for assistance for seven hours, as an aggravating factor.[27] Samuel Benchetrit, Trintignant's estranged husband, testified that she had had told him she was a victim of violence. He claimed she told him that Cantat had struck her and even chased her with a knife.[29]

The trial lasted three days.[30] In March 2004, Cantat was sentenced by Vilnius Regional Court under Article 129 of the Lithuanian Criminal Code to eight years in prison for murder, committed with indirect intent (dolus eventualis).[31] The verdict was at first appealed by Trintignant's family, who believed that her killing warranted a harsher sentence, and later by Cantat, who wanted the higher court to reclassify his crime as manslaughter, and therefore lessen his sentence.[32] Both parties ultimately decided to cancel their appeals, which rendered final the original sentence of eight years.[citation needed] At the request of his lawyers, Cantat was moved from the Lithuanian Lukiškės prison,[33] to a prison near Muret, France, in September 2004.[34]

Parole and release

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Cantat served four years of his eight-year sentence in prison.[citation needed] According to French law, after half of a prison sentence has been served, a criminal with good behavior can be released to serve the rest of his sentence on parole.[35]

Cantat was released from the French prison on parole in October 2007, after serving half of his sentence. His early release aroused the anger of women's rights activists and the victim's parents, who had failed to persuade French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French judges to block his early release.[18][36] His parole status was lifted in 2010.

Personal life

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In 1997, Cantat married Krisztina Rády [fr], an art director of Hungarian descent, with whom he had two children; Milo, born in 1998, and Alice, born in 2003.[37]

In September 2003, Cantat's Moustey house was burned down.[38] His spouse and his two children initially were supposed to be in the house at that time, but were in Bordeaux, instead.[39]

Krisztina Rády's suicide

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On the night of 10 January 2010, Rády killed herself. At the time of her death, Bertrand Cantat was present in the house. She was discovered by their children the following day.[40]

Shortly before her death, Rády had complained of mental abuse by Cantat. The physical abuse she complained of on the answering machine is that he threw some objects at her, but she never mentioned that he had assaulted her. According to Cantat, Rády's parents had spent a week with him after the suicide.[37] Accused by lawyer Yael Mellul [fr],[41] magistrates in Bordeaux investigated Cantat in connection with Rády's suicide, but ultimately decided not to press charges.[42]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album Peak positions
FRA
[43]
2017 Amor fati 13

Singles

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As lead artist

Year Single Peak positions
FRA
[43]
2017 "L'Angleterre" 10
[44]

Featured in

Year Single Peak positions
FRA
[43] 		BEL
(Wa)
[45]
2012 "Oh Amadou"
(Amadou & Mariam feat. Bertrand Cantat) 		176 46*

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

References

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  1. ^ Davies, Lizzy (3 October 2010). "Bertrand Cantat returns to the stage seven years after murdering his girlfriend". The Guardian.
  2. ^ Hugh Schofield (19 November 2013). "French killer Bertrand Cantat's controversial comeback". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Cantat: ..." Capital (in French). 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022. [French rock icon of the 1990s, the singer from Bordeaux ...]
  4. ^ a b c Pons, Charlotte (24 December 2013). "Videos ..." [Videos. Rock legends #2: the broken destiny of Noir Désir]. Le Point (in French). Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022. [Icon and model of committed French rock in the 90s, Noir Désir ... the text is very characteristic of the pen and the literary culture of Cantat]
  5. ^ "Bertrand ..." [Bertrand Cantat is done with justice]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). AFP. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Singer jailed for killing lover". BBC News. 29 March 2004. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  7. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (18 August 2004). "Cantat can move to French prison". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  8. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (13 March 2018). "French singer who killed his girlfriend pulls out of festival performances". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  9. ^ Davies, Lizzy (28 July 2010). "Noir Désir singer convicted of murdering girlfriend has parole lifted". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  10. ^ Lizzy Davies in Paris (3 October 2010). "Bertrand Cantat returns to the stage seven years after murdering his girlfriend". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Infamous French rock band Noir Désir splits". France 24. 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  12. ^ Convicted killer Bertrand Cantat will not perform in Canada: theatre Archived 11 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Aimée, ma petite chérie". Ledevoir.com. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Detroit Musical Game Blog". Detroitmusic.fr. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Bertrand Cantat: Killer rock star pulls out of French festivals". 13 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  16. ^ Henley, Jon (17 March 2004). "The rock singer, the film star and the fatal blows that shattered a French dream". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  17. ^ "French rocker released from jail". BBC News. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Early release for Bertrand Cantat". The New Zealand Herald. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  19. ^ a b Tagliabue, John (5 August 2003). "Brutal Death of an Actress Is France's Summertime Drama". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  20. ^ Moreno, Justine Briquet (27 March 2025). "On a vu le documentaire sur Bertrand Cantat : voici ce qu'on apprend sur l'affaire - Elle". elle.fr (in French). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  21. ^ Sourya Sur, Roy (28 March 2025). "'From Rock Star To Killer' Recap Explained: What Happens To Krisztina Rady And Marie Trintignant?". DMT. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  22. ^ a b Klaussmann, Liza (29 March 2004). "Cantat sentenced to eight years". Variety. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  23. ^ "Marie Trintignant, 41". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Should domestic abuse ever be forgotten?". Women's Views on News. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  25. ^ "Singer to face Trintignant murder charge". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Rock star lover 'lost control'". BBC News. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  27. ^ a b Bremner, Charles (17 March 2004). "'It was a love that took over everything, with an incredible force that I have never known'". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Europe | Rock star lover 'lost control'". BBC News. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  29. ^ a b "Wife defends singer over 'murder'". BBC News. 17 March 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  30. ^ Bremner, Charles (23 March 2004). "Forgive me, says singer on trial for murder". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  31. ^ Henley, Jon (30 March 2004). "French rock musician gets eight years for killing his actor lover". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  32. ^ "Appeal Trial Set In Cantat Murder Case". Billboard. 7 June 2004. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  33. ^ "Vilnius to redevelop notorious prison turned Netflix set". 22 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Le prisonnier de Muret".
  35. ^ "Europe | French singer drops jail appeal". BBC News. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  36. ^ Times, The; Bremner, Charles (11 September 2011). "Anger as rock star Bertrand Cantat who murdered girlfriend is freed after four years". The Times. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  37. ^ a b lefigaro.fr. "French killer Bertrand Cantat's controversial comeback (RTL)". BBC. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  38. ^ "Armed guards for band of rock star on murder charge". The Daily Telegraph. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  39. ^ "On va vous cramer, vous allez payer". Leparisien.fr. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  40. ^ lefigaro.fr (10 January 2010). "Suicide de l'ex-femme de Cantat (RTL)". Lefigaro.fr. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  41. ^ https://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2018/07/06/mort-de-krisztina-rady-la-plainte-visant-bertrand-cantat-classee-sans-suite_5327422_1653578.html
  42. ^ lefigaro.fr (11 January 2010). "French rocker questioned over ex-wife 'suicide'(RTL)". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  43. ^ a b c "Bertrand Cantat discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  44. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 41, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 16 October 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  45. ^ "Bertrand Cantat discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
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