Prolific Quebec songwriter and composer Stéphane Venne has died

Songwriter and composer Stéphane Venne, one of Quebec’s most influential musical artists of the 20th century, died Friday in Saint-Hyacinthe. He was 83.His wife, Marie Dumais, said in a phone interview Saturday that he suffered from an unknown illness and had been hospitalized for the past two weeks. Mr. Venne chose to have medical assistance in dying.The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, which inducted Mr. Venne in 2017, described him as “one of the most brilliant songwriters of his generation.” Starting out in the mid-1960s, he was known early on for his song Un jour, un jour, interpreted by Donald Lautrec and chosen as the official theme song of Expo 67 in Montreal.