Guy Latraverse, Quebec Entertainment Legend, Passes Away at 84

Guy Latraverse: A Legendary Figure in Québec’s Entertainment Industry

Bidding Farewell to a Cultural Icon

Guy Latraverse, one of the great builders of Québec’s music and entertainment industry, passed away on Saturday night after a long illness. He had been hospitalized for a month. The renowned impresario and producer was 84 years old. The news was confirmed to La Presse by his daughter Zoé on Sunday afternoon.

Latraverse’s sister, Louise Latraverse, was with the Latraverse family when La Presse contacted her. Despite being saddened by the death of the man she introduced to the world of arts, she found words to pay tribute to him. “He was intelligent and loved people. He took Québec artists out of cabarets and told them that they had the right to be treated as well as French artists. He was passionate and audacious. To see Diane Dufresne in the show ‘Tiens-toé ben j’arrive’ and believe in it, you had to do it. He pushed local artists to surpass themselves.”

A Visionary and a Pioneer

Madeleine Careau, the current CEO of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, first met Guy Latraverse in the mid-1970s at the Quebec Summer Festival, and then during the creation of the Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ) in 1979. “He was a natural entrepreneur who was not afraid to take risks. He was the first Québecois to apply a vertical model in the entertainment industry, similar to what multinational companies were doing. He was in charge of artist management, production of their shows, and their records. He even created Kébec Films, which allowed him to produce shows about his artists. He was a true visionary.”

Shortly after the news of his death broke, tributes poured in on social media. François Legault, the Premier of Québec, praised Guy Latraverse as a “builder.” According to Mathieu Lacombe, Minister of Culture and Communications, the esteemed impresario was also “a man who had great aspirations for our artists and our culture, at a time when everything was still to be built.”

The Early Years with Léveillée

Guy Latraverse was born on July 5, 1939, in Chicoutimi. He was the eldest of four children and was one year older than his sister Louise, an actress, author, and director who introduced him to the world of arts. He became involved in organizing sports and cultural activities while in college. He took his first steps as a professional manager when Claude Léveillée, who was dating his sister at the time, asked him to handle his accounting in the early 1960s. Quickly recruited by other artists who were not interested in numbers, Guy Latraverse rose in prominence in 1962 when, after negotiating on behalf of the author of “Frédéric,” Claude Léveillée stated that he would henceforth be his impresario.

Guy Latraverse once admitted in an interview, “I didn’t know exactly what the word ‘impresario’ meant. As far as I knew, no one in Montreal held that title.”

The “Father of Québec’s Showbiz”

One cannot refer to Guy Latraverse as the “father of Québec’s showbiz” lightly. He was, along with Gilles Talbot and Gérard Thibault, one of the great builders. In addition to working with Claude Léveillée, organizing Québec tours and working with artists such as Pierre Calvé, Pauline Julien, Jacques Blanchet, Jean-Pierre Ferland, he was also the driving force behind Yvon Deschamps’ extraordinary career starting in the 1970s. He expanded his activities to Europe, bringing artists like Guy Béart, Léo Ferré, Petula Clark, and Charles Aznavour to Québec.

No one else in Québec has dared to undertake such ventures since.

A Career Defined by Grandeur

Guy Latraverse’s career was marked by grandiose ideas. He convinced Claude Léveillée to perform at the Place des Arts in 1964 when no other local artist had yet headlined a show there. He was the man behind Yvon Deschamps’ 100-night performance at Théâtre Maisonneuve in 1977. He was also the fearless producer who presented Diane Dufresne at the Forum in 1980, making her the first local artist to perform there solo, and made her later spectacle, “Magie rose,” possible at the Olympic Stadium four years later. No other local artist has ventured into such endeavors since.

However, Latraverse’s career was also marked by several failures. Some of his projects, such as the staging of Jean-Pierre Ferland’s show “Jaune ou…” at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, drove him to bankruptcy. But he always bounced back, making his mark in the music industry (Kébec Disques), television (Sogestalt, Productions Samedi de rire), and, of course, the world of showbiz.

Paradoxically, Latraverse drew courage and energy from a debilitating illness that profoundly affected him: in the mid-1980s, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “There wasn’t much that could stop me in this business. I was a successful bipolar person,” he said with a laugh during an interview with La Presse in 2013. “This illness allowed me to do things just as it allowed Churchill, Roosevelt, and Napoleon, all of whom were bipolar, to accomplish greater things.”

Social Engagement and Legacy

Latraverse was one of the first Québec personalities to openly discuss bipolar disorder and advocate for mental health. He was a co-founder of an association now called Relief (formerly known as Revivre), which provides support to people suffering from anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. His social engagement was also evident through benefit shows such as “Tous unis contre le sida” (All United Against AIDS) and “De concert avec le Saguenay” (In Concert with Saguenay), both held in 1996.

A year prior to co-founding Les Francos de Montréal (now simply known as Les Francos) with Alain Simard, Guy Latraverse was honored with the Félix tribute award in 1988. This award deeply touched him. In his biographical book written with the help of former La Presse journalist Daniel Lemay, he said, “This evening was one of the highlights of my life because this tribute came from my peers, the people who appreciated what I had done for the Québec entertainment industry, our business.”

Latraverse’s career was marked by numerous awards and honors bestowed upon him by public institutions and professional associations in television, music, and entertainment. His status as a stalwart of the industry was recognized a second time by ADISQ, which awarded him a special Félix tribute in 2013 for his 50 years of work in the background, promoting artists and Québec culture.

• 1964: Produced Claude Léveillée, the first Québecois singer to perform at Place des Arts
• 1968: Produced “L’Osstidcho King Size” on tour
• 1971: Co-founded Kébec Spec
• 1974: Produced the show “J’ai vu le loup, le renard, le lion” with Félix Leclerc, Gilles Vigneault, and Robert Charlebois
• 1976: Produced the show “1 fois 5” with Yvon Deschamps, Claude Léveillée, Gilles Vigneault, Jean-Pierre Ferland, and Robert Charlebois
• 1978: Co-founded ADISQ
• 1984: Presented Diane Dufresne in “Magie Rose” at the Olympic Stadium
• 1985: Co-founded Les Productions Samedi de rire with Yvon Deschamps
• 1989: Co-founded Les Francos de Montréal
• 2013: Received tribute from ADISQ for his 50 years in the entertainment industry

Farewell to a Cultural Luminary

The passing of Guy Latraverse marks the end of an era in Québec’s entertainment industry. His vision, his audacity, and his perseverance have forever shaped the landscape of Québec culture. As artists and industry professionals mourn his loss, it is clear that Guy Latraverse’s contributions will live on through the legacy he leaves behind. His impact will continue to inspire future generations to push boundaries and strive for greatness in the world of arts and entertainment.