Stamp marks last tour by Hallyday

THE FACE of French rock legend Johnny Hallyday will adorn a stamp marking his final tour, which begins tomorrow.

The accolade is very rare during a person’s life and marks the iconic status in France of the singer whose career started in the late 1950s.

A la Poste spokesman said: “With 39 gold discs and 18 platinum ones Johnny Hallyday is one of the legends of rock.”

Usually famous people are only honoured after their deaths, though there have been rare exceptions - French skier and racing driver Jean-Claude Killy and American runner Carl Lewis featured in a 2000 series on the 20th Century. Hallyday is only the second performer to be so honoured, after French singer and actor Patrick Bruel.

The stamps, showing Hallyday holding a microphone and singing with eyes closed on a black background are available now. They can be bought in larger post offices and from sites selling tickets for the concerts. They are only available in blocks of 10.

Hallyday’s Tour 66 starts tomorrow in Saint-Etienne (Rhône-Alpes) and finishes in November in Clermont-Ferrand.

PHOTO: Frédéric Loridant