A voice, a style, an energy and a freedom that left their mark on several generations. Catherine Ringer, singer and co-founder of Les Rita Mitsouko, has died at the age of 68. Her children announced her death to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, saying she had been taken by “a fast-acting cancer” in the night of 14 September 2026.
She was born in Suresnes in 1957. Her father, Sam Ringer, an Ashkenazi Jew born in Poland, had been deported to several concentration camps. Catherine Ringer recounted his story in “C’était un homme“, on the album Cool Frénésie.
In 1979, she met Fred Chichin, and from their artistic and personal encounter came one of the most original duos in French music. Les Rita Mitsouko would quickly create a world apart, blending rock, pop, funk, electro and chanson.
Real success arrived in the mid-1980s with “Marcia Baïla”, a track that became emblematic of the French scene. The band then reeled off a string of hits, including “Andy”, “C’est comme ça” and “Les Histoires d’A.” Their music, their videos and their offbeat aesthetic turned Les Rita Mitsouko into a phenomenon that far exceeded the usual boundaries of rock.
In November 2007, the death of Fred Chichin, also taken by cancer at just 53, could have brought the adventure to an end. Instead, Catherine Ringer chose to keep their repertoire alive. She pursued a solo career and regularly returned to the stage with the songs of Les Rita Mitsouko.
Still active in 2026, she had notably performed in Paris last February. She was due to continue championing on stage the body of work born of her collaboration with Fred Chichin.
With her death, French music loses a unique figure. Catherine Ringer remains inseparable from Les Rita Mitsouko, but also from her very own way of taking to the stage: free, provocative, original and widely loved by audiences.
