Joëlle Mogensen

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Joëlle Mogensen (February 3, 1953 – May 15, 1982) was a popular singer of French songs.

Born in Long Island, New York, Joëlle was the daughter of a French/ Vietnamese mother and a Danish father who was serving with UNICEF at the United Nations in New York City. The family eventually returned to Copenhagen in the early part of the 1960s where she attended a private religious school. A brilliant student as well as an accomplished athlete, she spoke six languages and was a star member of the swim team. She began singing at a young age and as a fan of Bob Dylan, developed a folk song repertoire, appearing on Danish television variety shows, playing a guitar and singing.

In 1969 she went to live in the south of France with her mother and sisters where she met guitarist Serge Koolenn. Mogensen studied music at a school in Marseille and began her career singing folk music in cafés and small clubs. By 1971, she and Koolenn had begun a relationship and together recorded a 45rpm. After meeting the multi-talented singer/songwriter, drumer Richard Dewitte (born 1946), they soon organized a musical ensemble of five males with Joëlle as lead singer. Naming the group "Il était une fois," between 1972 and 1979 they produced height albums that met with a great deal of success. With her good looks and golden blonde hair, Joëlle quickly became the star of the group.

She became a media darling and her popularity soared when, as a publicity stunt before a performance in the resort town of Courchevel she parachuted out of an airplane at 10,000 feet while the boys in the group remained safely planted on the ground. She followed this adventure by taking flying lessons.

She and her singing group appeared on French television variety shows with other popular performers of the time such as Johnny Hallyday and fellow American-born French singer, Joe Dassin. In 1978 the group broke up and Joëlle signed with Barclay Records. An admirer of the renowned French crooner, Jean Sablon, she sang with him and dedicated her 1979 "Numéro un" to him. As a solo artist, she released her only album, "Joëlle tout court," in 1980. This provided the song "Homme impossible" that became a best-selling single on the European music charts in 1981.

On May 14, 1982 Joëlle visited her sisters in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Île-de-France, France, then had dinner with friends with whom she spent the night. In the morning, the 29-year-old singer was found dead of a drug overdose.

Joëlle Mogensen was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris. Her 45rpm hit, "Aime-moi" was released three days after her passing.

Adapted from the article Joëlle Mogensen, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.