2023-08-04 18:42:39
By Jacques Pessis
Posted 9 minutes ago, Updated just now
Isabelle Aubret put an end to her long career as a singer after giving two last performances in March 2023 in her native town of Marquette-Lez-Lille. Marion Bousquet
The artist and former gymnast set off for the first time in her life in Provence, the day after her birthday.
Isabelle Aubret deserves to figure prominently in the Book of Records. The day after her 85th birthday, aboard an airplane flying at an altitude of 4000 meters in the sky of Provence, she parachuted for the first time in her life.
The adventure began with a conversation with the manager of a hotel in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, where she was staying. He told her about his passion for this sport with such enthusiasm that she immediately felt the urge to live, in turn, a moment in the sky. “ It was the day before my birthday. After declaring that I was completely crazy, Gérard Meys, my producer decided to give me this gift “, she says.
In the process, she telephoned her doctor to ask his opinion. “ Me, I wouldn’t “, he replied, before the arguments deployed by his interlocutor make him change his mind. However, his cardiologist immediately gave him the green light. “Why not ? he simply exclaimed. The next day, she went to the Skydive Pujaut skydiving school, where an instructor, Théo, showed her, on a board, how to perform the “ Angel jumping “, the technique allowing to land by spreading the legs, therefore, without the slightest risk of injury. “ I do gymnastics every morning, so I had no problem repeating this movement. ».
After being given the traditional safety gear, she joined 15 other day skydivers. Many of them were afraid, which was not the case for the oldest member of a group, some of whose members found her to resemble Isabelle Aubret, without imagining for a moment that it was her.
Isabelle Aubret at the funeral of Dick Rivers at the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church in Paris, May 2, 2019. Pierrot Patrice / Pierrot Patrice / ABACA
A smooth flight
Parachute together with her instructor, she did not panic at the moment of jumping into the void, quite the contrary. “ I wanted to know what it felt like to fly. I lived, arms outstretched, such a moment of happiness that I started to sing in space, tunes that went through my head “. The descent at 200 km/h for about fifty seconds was followed by the jerk of the opening of the parachute. The only shock felt by Isabelle Aubret then was that of the image of the Earth seen from the sky. “ We descended slowly and I could savor the beauty of nature, of the sea “. This experience, which, according to him, will not be unique is also, in his eyes, an authentic life lesson that others could learn. “ I am convinced that aging does not automatically mean that one becomes old. You always have to move forward, have new projects ».
Despite this impressive performance, Isabelle Aubret is far from being the oldest person to have parachuted. In 2022, a Swedish woman had started at the age of 103. Marion Bousquet
Head full of projects
This is how her farewell to the recital a few months ago does not mean that she intends to leave the stage. She is currently preparing a book album entitled “ Life is Beautiful where songs and memories mingle. “ I will tell my story and illustrate it with verses and choruses that I have recorded and which have not all become hits “. The release, scheduled for early 2024, will be followed by an intimate show during which songs and anecdotes will mingle. “ I chose to tell my life, because it’s the one I know best! »
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