Patrick Bourgeois, frontman of Les B.B., passes away at age 55

Patrick Bourgeois, 55, had made an announcement on social media months prior to his death announcing that he had cancer. (Photo by Ludovic and Patrick Bourgeois/Facebook)

Patrick Bourgeois, the singer of les BB, a very popular group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, died of cancer, his family announced Sunday night.

The 55-year-old musician had been suffering from cancer for several months, his partner Mélanie Savard said in a Facebook statement, adding that he 'died peacefully in (her) arms'.

After an operation in 2016, he wrote on his Facebook page: “Facebook friends, as some people know, I had to have a major surgery last week. The latter will force me to complete rest for the next few months. Life sends me a fight to lead. Rest assured that I intend to win!”

After collaborating with Rock and Belles Oreilles, Patrick Bourgeois had formed, with Alain Lapointe and François Jean, the trio Beaux Blonds. Under this name, they participated in Marc Drouin’s  Vis Ta Vinagrette.

Becoming les BB, the three musicians released their first album in 1989. The songs “Loulou ,” “Be careful” and “T'es dans la lune” propelled them to the top of the charts. According to the Québec Info Musique website, they sold 200,000 copies of the album. The album also allowed them to win three Félix awards in 1990, including one for the group of the year, rock album of the year and rock show of the year.

The band released a second album in 1991, “Snob ,” which proved to be even more popular than the previous one. Three hundred thousand copies were sold, and three other songs placed among the winners: “Snob,” “Give me a chance” and “Alone in the fight.”  Five-time nominee for the Félix Gala in 1992, les BB won group of the year.

The following year came the release of a live album, “A night with B.B.”

After a third studio album in 1994, the band decided to separate.

Patrick Bourgeois continued his activities in music, releasing two solo albums in 1998 and in 2001. He tried to add strings to his bow by animating the Quebec version of an American TV game 'Fa Si La Chanter' on Radio-Canada in 1997-1998. He himself made fun of this experience, calling it "the rebel part of my life!" I saw the show the other day ‘Oh boy, damn Youtube!’ It was a nice paying challenge, but it's as if Jim Morrison had gone to animate The Price Is Right! ', he told a La Presse reporter in 2008.

The BBs tried to reconcile several times, the last time in 2015, without much success.

However, Patrick Bourgeois remained involved behind the scenes.

The singer would have had the great joy of seeing his son Ludovic take away the honors in the fifth season of the series “La Voix “broadcast on TVA, in 2017. He had recorded a video to encourage his son.

Ludovic announced on the Facebook page that he shared with his father that a ceremony will be held soon and that the public and friends will gather to commemorate the singer songwriter and director – a fixture in the musical landscape of Quebec since for last 30 years.