French journalist and radio host Philippe Bouvard was laid to rest on Monday, August 31, 2026, following a funeral service at the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Voyage in Cannes, where he had retired in recent years. Bouvard, who gained national fame as the creator of the long-running radio show Les Grosses Têtes, died on August 24, 2026, at the age of 96.
Colleagues, family members, and prominent figures from French broadcasting gathered in the Mediterranean coastal city for a ceremony that Bouvard had specified should be lighthearted and smiling. Many media personalities traveled to the French Riviera to pay their final respects despite the funeral falling on the main autumn return day for French news organizations in Paris.
Tributes from family and friends
Bouvard's daughter Nathalie spoke during the service, sharing several lighthearted remarks her father had made about mortality. She recalled that even in the most difficult circumstances he could never resist a good joke, noting his observation that death is only one day in life, the last one as it seems.
Nathalie also revealed that her father had frequently joked about avoiding funerals altogether, claiming he intended to play dead on the day of his own burial.
Actress and comedian Chantal Ladesou gave emotional testimony during the service, describing Bouvard as charming, gentle, kind, adorable, and generous, and emphasizing how openly he showed affection for his colleagues.
Television producer Gérard Louvin praised Bouvard's long career trajectory, calling his rise from an office courier to a broadcast executive an extraordinary professional achievement.
Radio veterans and media figures
Comedian and chansonnier Jacques Mailhot reflected on his fifty-year collaboration with Bouvard in comments to Sud Radio, a French news and talk station. Mailhot recalled that their partnership began with a sketch on Dix de der, a late-night television show hosted by Bouvard, and said the two had remained close friends and professional partners ever since.
Bouvard's wife, Colette Bouvard-Sauvage, whom he married in 1953, attended the service alongside Gilles Lanoue, the last surviving director of Les Grosses Têtes, who collaborated with Bouvard for sixteen years.
The funeral was also attended by veteran television host Julien Lepers, best known for presenting the game show Questions pour un champion, and singer and actress Marianne James, who was a regular panel member on Les Grosses Têtes during the 2000s under Bouvard's leadership.
Television presenter Cyril Viguier was also among the mourners. Viguier had conducted Bouvard's final television interview shortly before his death for the international news program on network TV5 Monde.
RTL colleagues and local leaders
Colleagues from RTL, the major French commercial radio network where Bouvard began working in 1965, turned out in force to honor their former presenter. Attendees included former station president Régis Ravanas, current RTL head Jonathan Curiel, and former news director Jérôme Godefroy.
Former colleagues from national daily newspaper Le Figaro, France's oldest national daily, and regional newspaper Nice-Matin, both of which Bouvard wrote for during his journalism career, were also present.
Local political figures from the Alpes-Maritimes region in southeastern France also attended the service. David Lisnard, the mayor of Cannes, reminded mourners that at eight years old Bouvard had declared his intention to live in Cannes and not die anywhere else, noting that his childhood wish had finally been fulfilled.
Éric Ciotti, the mayor of Nice and a local member of parliament, attended the ceremony as a neighboring civic leader to pay respects to the broadcast creator who launched Les Grosses Têtes in 1977.
Final burial in Cannes
Following the funeral ceremony at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Voyage, the casket was carried from the church to prepare for final interment.
Bouvard was scheduled to be buried late Monday afternoon in his family vault at the Grand-Jas Cemetery, a historical burial ground in Cannes.
