Famous French Artist and Card Player Turns Out to Be a Sexual Predator 0 26

In France, popular singer and actor Patrick Bruel has been taken into custody. The Nanterre prosecutor's office reports that he will be interrogated as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual violence, attempted rape, and rapes. According to authorities, 13 women have accused the French star of sexual crimes, which they claim were committed by him between 1997 and 2012.

The 67-year-old artist has already canceled most of his upcoming tour, which was set to start in mid-June in Paris and continue with performances at festivals.

One of the theaters in Paris removed the last five performances featuring him from its repertoire following a protest by feminists.

Last week, organizers also canceled three of the singer's concerts in Montreal. However, several performances are still scheduled for the fall.

Bruel's lawyers issued a statement saying that their client will cooperate with the investigation and intends to prove his innocence.

Initially, the case was based on the statements of three women, but the number of complainants has since grown to 13. The Nanterre prosecutor's office clarified that Bruel is currently being interrogated regarding all these incidents.

Among the complainants is television presenter Flavie Flament, who claims that in 1991, Bruel allegedly drugged her and raped her in his home in Paris.

According to her, she was 16 years old at the time, and the singer was 32.

His parents, both educators, divorced when Patrick was one year old. He was raised by his mother, a French teacher at a local school. After 1962, when Algeria gained independence, mother and son moved to a suburb of Paris and then to the capital. Patrick dreamed of becoming a professional football player from childhood, but he also loved music, enjoying a wide variety of genres from classical to modern rock. He became fascinated with guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. Additionally, he eagerly listened to Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel, whose records were found at his mother's home.

In 1984, Bruel first made headlines by releasing the song "Marre de cette nana-là," written by Gérard Presgurvic. Bruel's first album (De face, 1986) did not achieve great success (20,000 copies sold), yet by May 1987, Bruel performed at the "Olympia" to a full house. Following the performance, he released a live album. Bruel's second studio album, Alors regarde, recorded in New York and Toulouse, was released in November 1989. Five singles from the album were released (from October 1989 to July 1991), and the album itself achieved diamond status, selling over 2 million copies. The last single from the album, "Décalé," released on July 4, 1991, and re-released in 1992 in a live version with singer Mariza Corréa, is also known to Russian listeners — it was in rotation on "Nostalgie" throughout the 1990s.

Bruel's film career began in the late 1970s, but his first major success as an actor came only after more than a dozen film and television projects — in the summer of 1987, when Claude Lelouch's film "Bandit" was released. In the early 1980s, he auditioned for the role of Philippe Berthier in Claude Pinoteau's film "Boum 2." However, Bruel ultimately lost the role to Pierre Cosso, as the filmmakers believed he could not create the image of a boy that girls would dream of.

Bruel is a professional poker player of world caliber. In 1998, he won a World Series of Poker bracelet in a limit hold'em tournament with a $5,000 buy-in. As of 2009, he had earned over $900,000 in tournaments, with ten cash finishes at the WSOP totaling $411,659. He also comments on the World Poker Tour in France.