No Rock And Roll Fun

CHANSONOBIT: Sacha Distel, possibly the best-known French recording artist of his generation, has died at the age of 71.

Born to an engineer father and a musical mother, Distel's popular image as a good-looking crooner sometimes obscured a greater range of talents. He was a successful composer - his The Good Life is one of the few standards to have been recorded by both Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra - and he was also much admired as a Jazz guitarist.

But it was a singer that Distel will always be remembered - his version of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head was his only chart entry in the UK, but he was a regular on British TV variety shows in the 70s and 80s. Amongst numerous honours and awards, in 1997 he was awarded the Legion of Honour in his home country, and earlier this year, appeared on Desert Island Discs.