Aimé Duval

Aimé Duval died on 30 April 1984 after a concert he gave in Metz and was buried in Nancy.

The stress of touring and composing led him to an alcohol disorder that quickly escalated. In February 1969 he made a suicide attempt, and then an alcohol detoxification in Versailles after his rescue. He fought for addiction to be recognized as a disease. In the same year he suffered a relapse. From then on, he regularly visited the meetings of the Alcoholics Anonymous. In order to help his fellow-sufferers, he dictated on a long drive a ruthless account of his addiction, which he published shortly before his death as a book: L’enfant qui jouait avec la lune -"The child who played with the Moon"- (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 9782706707391). The book, which became a bestseller, was only signed under the author first name: Lucien; As subtitle was his self-description: Chanteur, Jésuite, Alcoolique.

His first record was issued in 1956. In 1961 he had already sold more than one million records. Altogether he published 14 recordings.

Born in Le Val-d'Ajol in the Vosges department, Lucien Duval was baptized in Plombières. After a few years of primary school, he went to a Jesuit college in Brussels in 1920, already with the desire to become a priest. During this period he wrote a first chanson. In 1936, he joined the Jesuits and studied Catholic theology. On July 24, 1944, he received priest ordination in Enghien, Belgium. He was first employed as a French teacher in Reims until he was able to devote himself entirely to music.

Aimé Duval (better known under the name Père Duval) (30 June 1918 – 30 April 1984) was a French priest of the Society of Jesus, a singer-songwriter and guitarist, who was very successful in the 1950s and 1960s.