Gilles Girard, the voice of Quebec's Les Classels, dies at 84

Girard died on Oct 18 of severe pneumonia, surrounded by his family, his son Sam Girard said on Facebook.

A career in music

1. 1960

   Joins the Special Tones

2. 1964

   The group becomes Les Classels

3. 1971

   Les Classels say farewell; Girard goes solo

4. 1977

   Returns as Gilles Girard et les Super Classels

Born in Montreal in 1942, Girard joined the Special Tones in 1960, the group that became Les Classels in 1964.

Records sold by Les Classels, more than

1 million records

Dressed all in white, hair and instruments included, Les Classels sang mostly original songs and sold more than a million records.

Hits by Les Classels

• Avant de me dire adieu
• Ton amour a changé ma vie
• Le sentier de neige
• Mon premier amour

Their hits included Avant de me dire adieu, Le sentier de neige and Mon premier amour.