Jacques Bélanger was famous throughout Québec at the age of 11 with the song ‘Maman, tu es la plus belle du monde’.At age 20 he sang in a transvestite review and found out about sex changes. Jacques transitioned in 1972 and became Jacqueline Bélanger.
She restarted her career as a chanteuse under the name Brigitte Martel. She married a man in 1981 and published her autobiography the same year. In 1987 her mother died and she had a period of depression. As the Montréal c
abarets closed she found it hard to work.She was one of the founders of l’Association des Transsexuelles du Québec (ATQ) and performed for their fundraiser each year.
She died at home of a cardiac arrest.
Here is a video clip about her made by Mirha-Soleil Ross:
- Brigitte Martel. Né homme, comment je suis devenu femme. Éditions Québecor 155 pp 1981.
- Richard Thérrien. “Autrefois Jacques Bélanger, Brigitte Martel. Le chanteur devenu femme” Dernière Heure April 1997 Online at www.atq1980.org/bm.htm.
Brigitte had a beautiful voice. Who have loved to have seen her in person.
ReplyDelete