Singer and actress Regine has died aged 92, it has been confirmed but no cause of death has been revealed.
The star who “invented discotheque” was known for her music and global nightclub empire.
In a statement, her pal and comic Pierre Palmade said: “The queen of the night has left. Closing time following a long and great career.”
Pierre went on to say that her name “became synonymous with the crazy nights that lasted until the small hours” and how the singer herself “hit the dance floor until closing time.”
The late star opened her first nightclub, Chez Regine, in the Latin Quarter of the French capital back in the 1950s before going on to take over the world.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Her party venue stood out from the crowd, featuring DJs and turntables whereas most other venues offered a jukebox.
The idea soon took off, with Regine going on to become an international businesswoman with 22 venues across the world including cities such as New York, Rio de Janerio and Kuala Lumpur.
Fans of the icon have taken to Twitter to share their condolences, with one writing: “May she rest in peace, #RIPRegine.”
“Regine passed away yesterday, 92 years RIP Regine for making millions of people dance,” said another.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Before a third tweeted: “She loved Paris, she loved the night, she loved life. ‘The Queen of Our Sleepless Nights’ has left us. Régine also had a profound impact on French songs. She welcomed the greatest and made her city vibrate like no one. She will be missed, I will miss her.”
“RIP #Regine The world is a little less festive now,” typed a fourth.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The late star had also appeared in several films, including Robert and Robert, directed by Claude Lelouch.
Born Regina Zylberberg in 1929, in Etterbeek, Belgium, Regine spent many of her early years hiding from the Nazis in France.
Following the war, she went on to become a torch singer before landing the role of nightclub manager in 1953.
Her father, Joseph, ran what she had described as a “working-class Jewish cafe,” but she had her sights set on much larger businesses.
Speaking to the BBC in 2005, she said: “I wanted counts and dukes – people with titles,” and that she did, having thought King Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor) to dance, as well as dancing with Prince Charles.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
