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Rock icon Johnny Hallyday, known as French Elvis, dies at 74

In this July 4, 2016, file picture, French rock singer Johnny Hallyday waits before Christian Dior's Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2016-2017 fashion collection presented in Paris, France. The French president's office says Hallyday, who packed sports stadiums for decades, has died at age 74. (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer, File)
In this July 4, 2016, file picture, French rock singer Johnny Hallyday waits before Christian Dior's Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2016-2017 fashion collection presented in Paris, France. The French president's office says Hallyday, who packed sports stadiums for decades, has died at age 74. (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer, File) In this July 4, 2016, file picture, French rock singer Johnny Hallyday waits before Christian Dior's Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2016-2017 fashion collection presented in Paris, France. The French president's office says Hallyday, who packed sports stadiums for decades, has died at age 74. (AP Photo/Zacharie Scheurer, File)

By Associated Press 4 min read

PARIS (AP) – Johnny Hallyday, France’s biggest rock star for more than half a century and an icon who packed sports stadiums and all but lit up the Eiffel Tower with his pumping pelvis and high-voltage tunes, has died. He was 74.

President Emmanuel Macron announced his death in a statement early Wednesday, saying “he brought a part of America into our national pantheon.” Macron’s office said the president spoke with Hallyday’s family but did not provide details about where the rocker died or the circumstances.

Hallyday had had lung cancer and repeated health scares in recent years that dominated national news, yet he continued performing as recently as this summer.

Celine Dion was among stars sharing condolences for a rocker with a famously gravelly voice who sold more than 100 million records, filled concert halls and split his time between Los Angeles and Paris.

Hallyday fashioned his glitzy stage aura from Elvis Presley, drew musical inspiration from Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly, performed with Jimi Hendrix, and made an album in country music’s capital, Nashville, Tennessee.