Guesch Patti

Patricia Yolande Ghislaine Porrasse was born on 16 March 1946 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, then in the Seine department, near Paris. Her father, Jean Porrasse (1923 to 1995), was an artistic agent and artistic director at the record company Pathé-Marconi; her parents later ran restaurants, Le Cintra in Paris and Le Saratoga in Deauville, according to French Wikipedia. Her mother was named Linda. The actor Bernard Blier was her godfather, as reported by RTS. Her stage name came from childhood: Guesch was a Basque nickname (Gaixoa) given to her by her grandfather, and Patti was a short form of Patricia. Some outlets, including franceinfo, spell her birth surname Porasse.

She trained in classical ballet and at the age of nine entered the Paris Opera Ballet school as a "petit rat". At fifteen she was engaged by the choreographer Roland Petit. About eight years later she turned to contemporary dance, a choice that shaped the rest of her artistic life. No university or formal academic qualifications have been reported.

Dance: After leaving classical ballet she worked with Joseph Russillo, Carolyn Carlson, Pina Bausch, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Sylvano Bussotti, and in 1976 with Anne-Marie Reynaud's Four solaire and Odile Azagury. She also danced on television, accompanying Nana Mouskouri and Sylvie Vartan.

Early singing: In 1964 and 1965 she recorded four EPs with her husband Yves Gilbert as the duo Yves et Patricia (La Petite Histoire, Il est bleu, il est gris, Dès que tu me tournes le dos, Voyager). In 1984 she co-founded the trio Dacapo with Lydie Callier, releasing "Somnifères" and winning the Radio Mont-Blanc discovery prize in Dijon.

"Étienne": Released in June 1987, with her lyrics set to music by Vincent Bruley, the song spent five weeks at number one in the French Top 50, topped the Italian chart, and charted at number three in Switzerland, six in Austria and nine in West Germany. It was certified gold in France and sold more than 1.5 million copies in total, according to RTS. Its black and white video by Lydie Callier, a provocative choreographed striptease, was banned in several countries.

Albums: Labyrinthe (1988), with "Let Be Must the Queen" (number 25 in France); Nomades (1990), followed by a European tour and North American concerts; Gobe (1992), recorded in Minneapolis at Prince's studios and produced by Bobby Z; Blonde (1995), with Étienne Daho, Françoise Hardy and Matthieu Chedid; and Dernières Nouvelles (2000), followed by a 2002 DVD. Later singles included "Dans tes yeux" with Chilly Gonzales (2002), "Bilingue" (2009) and "Ensemble" (2010).

Stage and screen: From 2001 she focused on dance and theatre, including Elle sourit aux larmes (2001), The Threepenny Opera (2003 to 2004, directed by Christian Schiaretti), The Vagina Monologues (2004), Jésus Camacho 404 284 (2006), Par-dessus bord (2008), Allegro ricordando and Les Princesses (2009), RE-VUe (2014) and Per au travers (2018 to 2020). Film and TV roles included Elles (1997), Une pour toutes (1999), Le Gang des TV (1999), Suzanne (2007), Monsieur Max (2007) and Toi, moi, les autres (2010). She was a juror on France 2's Dancing Show in 2006.

From 1964 to 1974 she was married to the pianist and singer Yves Gilbert, with whom she recorded as Yves et Patricia. No children have been publicly reported. She lived and worked in Paris for most of her life. Her friends included the actress Isabelle Nanty and the choreographer Daniel Larrieu, who both took part in her funeral in July 2026. On France 3 in 2002 she spoke openly about the toll of fame and about financial debts.

Guesch Patti described herself as a "chameleon" who liked to "work quietly with all the arts". She was openly ambivalent about the music industry. In 2001 she told AFP that "Étienne" had swallowed the rest of her career and that she did not want to relive the media frenzy around it. In April 2002, on the France 3 talk show On ne peut pas plaire à tout le monde, she said she hated awards, that artists are unique and should not be put in competition, that show business had made her unhappy and that the industry had treated her like a product.

"Étienne" remains one of the defining French pop songs of the late 1980s and its video is often cited for its daring mix of dance and eroticism. Le Figaro reported claims that the video influenced Madonna in the same period, and the filmmaker Élodie Lachaud said the two artists watched each other's work closely. Beyond the hit, Le Monde's obituary called her "a dancer, a singer too, but above all an artist", reflecting a career that crossed ballet, contemporary dance, pop, theatre and film. Peter Greenaway's use of her songs in The Pillow Book and her collaborations with Pina Bausch, Carolyn Carlson and Chilly Gonzales show her reach beyond French pop.

Radio Mont-Blanc discovery prize, Dijon festival (1984, with Dacapo). Victoire de la musique, female revelation of the year (3rd ceremony, 19 December 1987). Prix de l'artiste européenne (1987). Prix Vincent-Scotto (1988). Nomination, female performer of the year, Victoires de la musique (1988 ceremony). Prix René-Jeanne (2008) for her artistic contribution and longevity, per the SACEM museum. Gold certification in France for "Étienne".

Albums: Labyrinthe (1988), Nomades (1990), Gobe (1992), Blonde (1995), Dernières Nouvelles (2000). Video: Dernières Nouvelles (DVD, 2002). Key singles: "Étienne" (1987), "Let Be Must the Queen" (1988), "Cul cul clan" (1988, Germany only), "Bon anniversaire" (1988), "L'Homme au tablier vert" (1990), "Comment dire" (1990), "Nomade" (1990), "Wake Up" (1992), "Mélomane" (1992), "La Marquise" (1995), "Amnésie" (1995), "Blonde" (1996), "4+1" (2000), "Dans tes yeux" with Gonzales (2002), "Bilingue" (2009), "Ensemble" (2010). Soundtrack: The Pillow Book (1996, Peter Greenaway). Films: Elles (1997), Une pour toutes (1999), Le Gang des TV (1999, short), Suzanne (2007), Toi, moi, les autres (2010). Television: Monsieur Max (2007), Dancing Show jury (France 2, 2006).

The "Étienne" video was banned from broadcast in several countries because of its sexual content. Guesch Patti also signed contracts for the song with two different producers at the same time, which led to a long legal dispute decided by a court in 1995, as reported by BFM TV.

Guesch Patti died in Paris, in the 15th arrondissement, in the night of 21 to 22 June 2026, aged 80, after a long illness. The specific illness has not been made public. Her manager Sébastien d'Assigny announced the death, writing that she left "the memory of a woman full of life in her artistic expression". Her funeral was held on 3 July 2026 at 13:30 in the Salle de la Coupole of the Père-Lachaise crematorium in Paris. The ceremony was reserved for family and friends but relayed to the public outside. Her coffin, painted by the artist Élodie Lachaud, carried the words "Glad to be there". Isabelle Nanty attended in a rare public appearance after a serious road accident, and Daniel Larrieu danced in tribute.