At L’Assomption, several thousand people came to the heart of the city to sing and honor the memory of Karl Tremblay. They were treated to an unexpected surprise: two members of the Cowboys Fringants came to greet them and thank them briefly.
Indeed, Jean-François Pauzé and Marie-Annick Lépine, both residents of L’Assomption, arrived around 8 p.m. in an unmarked car. Seeing them take the stage, the crowd exploded. The lights, candles and lanterns held at arm’s length quickly formed a sea of fireflies which swept from the stage to the street. Spectators cried. Others shouted, “We love you! »
“Thank you so much on behalf of Karl! launched Jean-François Pauzé. Karl was a humble and modest person and he would have been the first to be surprised by all this love. It is very beautiful. »
Marie-Annick Lépine, Karl Tremblay’s partner, also spoke.
She added that the singer wanted to be buried at L’Assomption, “where he spent the best years of his life”.
She also explained that she composed a Christmas song for the group of little choristers that she leads, a song that she played to her partner on Monday. “It was the last tear he shed. He said to me, “That’s the most beautiful Christmas song I’ve heard.” » She hopes to be able to record this song by the end of December. “I would like the money raised [with this song] to be used for cancer research,” she said before thanking the hospital staff who supported them over the past four years.
For his part, Jean-François Pauzé wanted to thank the City of L’Assomption which decided to rename its public square. It will be called Place Karl-Tremblay. “He deserves it in tabarnak! “, exclaimed the musician.
The two Fringants Cowboys then left under police escort, not without receiving a few hugs from crying people.
It was after receiving a video of the crowd singing in chorus in the first minutes of the ceremony that Jean-François Pauzé and Marie-Annick Lépine decided to join the event. The mayor of L’Assomption, Sébastien Nadeau, had the flair to send them the images.
This surprise visit was the highlight of a day full of emotions for the mayor and the public works team who managed to organize this ceremony in less than 24 hours.
The mayor of Repentigny, Nicolas Dufour, also indicated to La Presse that he was studying various scenarios to find a place which will also bear the name of Karl Tremblay “We want a place in his image and at his height,” indicated the one who formerly illegally entered the bar La Ripaille to attend the Cowboys Fringants shows!
In front of the stage set up on the new Place Karl-Tremblay, spectators of all ages began to gather at 5 p.m. Several wore sweaters in Cowboys colors, others were draped in fleur-de-lis.
“Karl Tremblay was the singer of our entire childhood,” said sisters Marina and Frédérique, lighting lanterns with their mother Julie. “He rallied everyone,” added the latter.
Not far from there, little Danaé, 5 years old, waved a blue and white flag while singing with the crowd her favorite song, Le shack à Hector. “She grew up with The Cowboys,” said her mother Émilie.
A high school English teacher, Lizabel Nitoi arrived in L’Assomption from her native Romania 34 years ago. “For me, Les Cowboys represent the culture of Quebec, its freedom. Thank you to them for making me love Quebec even more,” she said before bursting into tears.
Between the group of firefighters who sang the song Comme Joe Dassin without a false note, the teenage girls who consoled each other and the children who threw flowers on the stage as soon as Marie-Annick Lépine set foot there, the The atmosphere was as much festive as it was contemplative.