French music has lost one of its most unforgettable voices. Catherine Ringer, the legendary singer and co-founder of French rock duo Les Rita Mitsouko, has died at age 68.Ringer’s children announced the heartbreaking news in a statement to AFP, saying Ringer died on September 14 after being struck by a fast-acting cancerIt is with immense sadness that the family and loved ones of Catherine Ringer announce her death, taken by a fast-acting cancer in the night of September the 14th, 2026. A major French artist and one half of Les Rita Mitsouko, Catherine Ringer left her mark on several generations with her voice and songs, her immense freedom, and her uniqueness,” the statement read.

Born on October 18, 1957, in Suresnes, near Paris, in France, Catherine’s father, Sam Ringer, was a Holocaust survivor. She would later write a song about his story, C’était un homme, translated as “He was a man.”In 1979, she met guitarist Fred Chichin, with whom she went on to form the rock group Les Rita Mitsouko. The duo created a unique sound, blending many different genres such as rock, funk, electronic music, and French chanson.I met Fred and entered the rock’n’roll circus,” she told The Art Desk. “The rock people were like, ‘She’s not a real rocker. She’s not a blues singer.’ I sang easy-listening tracks that I loved. I didn’t have their way to wear the clothes.”

The group peaked in the 1980s, having many hits such as Marcia Baïla, C’est comme ça, and Andy. The first, Marcia Baïla, made the group part of French music history and turned them into household names.French rock icon Catherine Ringer dies at 68Their music became a phenomenon that reached far beyond rock music. On a personal level, the two became not only colleagues but soulmates. They were deeply in love and had three children: Ginger Romàn, Simone Ringer and Raoul Chichin.