Jean-Pierre Ferland's state funeral set for June 1 in Montreal

Jean-Pierre Ferland's state funeral will take place on Saturday, June 1, at 11 a.m., at Montreal's Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Premier François Legault's office announced Wednesday.

The day before, the singer's remains will lie in state in the Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des arts, in Montreal. The Montreal-born singer died on April 27 of natural causes. He was 89.

The following day, Legault indicated that he would offer the family a state funeral, which they later accepted.

The press release from the premier's office said that a limited number of places would be offered to the public for the funeral at the cathedral but did not provide further details.

The chapel at Théâtre Maisonneuve will welcome visitors on May 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the meantime, the Quebec government has set up an online condolence book at Quebec.ca/condoleances.

In Quebec, state funerals are reserved "for personalities who have left their mark on political life, according to a government decision." The ceremony is simpler than national funerals, generally reserved for former prime ministers and the president of the National Assembly. On the day of a state funeral, flags are flown at half-mast from dawn to dusk.

On June 1, the Quebec flag on the main tower of the legislature building will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset. Ferland had been hospitalized since Feb. 14 at CHSLD Desy, in Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, in Quebec's Lanaudière region.

He would have turned 90 on June 24, the same day as Quebec's Fête nationale. This year's festivities are expected to feature him prominently.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 8, 2024.