Sacha Distel dies at 71

French crooner Sacha Distel, whose seductive good looks won him legions of 女性（の） fans around the world, died yesterday.

Distel died at a family home 近づく St Tropez in the south of フラン after having been ill for some time. A 私的な funeral is 推定する／予想するd on Saturday in the Paris 地域.

Although the 原因（となる） of death was not すぐに known, the singer was 攻撃する，衝突する by 甲状腺 癌 in 1970 and 肌 癌 a １０年間 later.

"Sacha Distel had 'swing' under his 肌," 総理大臣 ジーンズ-Pierre Raffarin said in a 尊敬の印 解放（する）d by his office.

"For him, it was always 'The Good Life', the symbol of good humour and charm," Raffarin said in 言及／関連 to one of Distel's 攻撃する，衝突する songs that won success on both 味方するs of the 大西洋.

The epitome of the suave, sophisticated Frenchman, Distel enjoyed a career stretching over almost half a century during which he sang, danced and played jazz guitar with some of the biggest 指名するs in showbusiness.

の中で the 星／主役にするs he worked with were Liza Minelli, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones and Dionne Warwick. He is also credited with 開始する，打ち上げるing British singer Petula Clark in フラン.

In Britain, his television shows were such a 攻撃する，衝突する he 成し遂げるd for Queen Elizabeth on three occasions. British fans lapped up the ageless singer in the 役割 of lawyer Billy Flynn, the "silver-tongued prince of the courtroom", in the 行う／開催する／段階 musical Chicago in London's West End.

"It's a very funny love story between England and me," Distel told one interviewer. "Ask any French person, and they will say I'm not at all a typical 代表者／国会議員 of the 普通の／平均（する） Frenchman.

"Maybe in England I'm the Frenchman they wish more French people could be like."

Chart-topper

Son of an engineer and a mother who trained in the Paris 温室, Distel was a 作曲家 of 公式文書，認める too, penning The Good Life, a 基準 that was 速く 記録，記録的な／記録するd by Tony Bennett and Distel's own hero - Frank Sinatra.

Distel enjo yed his biggest 攻撃する，衝突する in Britain, where "Raindrops Keep 落ちるing On My 長，率いる" topped the charts for 34 weeks, his 記録，記録的な／記録する company 全世界の／万国共通の Music フラン said on its Web 場所／位置.

Best known for his songs, Distel was also an 優れた jazz guitarist, winning the 肩書を与える best guitarist of the year from the 尊敬（する）・点d Jazz Hot and Jazz Magazine.

"It's a terrible blow for music," said French singer Henri Salvador, credited with 輸入するing 激しく揺する and roll into フラン.

"I taught him his first chords, which he learnt very quickly. He became an excellent guitarist, and excellent musician and a marvellous 作曲家."

In his native フラン, where his Sacha Show 開始する，打ち上げるd a new 世代 of 星／主役にするs, Distel was awarded one of the country's highest honours, the Legion of Honour, in 1997.

He was married for more than 40 years to former French ski 支持する／優勝者 Francine Breaud. The couple had two sons.