In loving memory of
Daniel Hétu
1950 - 2008
WWW.DANIELHETU.COM was Daniel's official website until his death in January 2008. In the few days following the announcement of his death, more than ten thousand people visited the site and several have sent expressions of sympathy. Some are reproduced here in the section "Tributes from the public" and others can be found in the section "Tributes from the artistic community". Some testimonials from the artistic community still need to be captured and added.
Public's tributes
- Classified by date, from the most recent to the oldest -
Mario Hains Sherbrooke / Sunday, February 12, 2023 1h53. Despite the passage of time, the memory of Daniel will always remain thanks to his wonderful music and his beautiful songs. We are always nostalgic.
_______________
Yves Lortie / Montreal / Monday May 31, 2021 10:57 a.m.
I took singing lessons with Daniel's father at Chez nous des artistes and before his death, Daniel lived near me on rue Gonthier in Tetreauville, I spoke to him sometimes. Your songs always make me cry thank you Daniel
_______________
DIANE JUTEAU HÉTU / Montreal / Thursday August 24, 2017 2:27 p.m.
Hi, I am very satisfied with the new Daniel tribute site. Bravo and thank you to you Eugène. Your friend Diane
_______________
Marquis Morissette / Quebec / Sunday June 4, 2017 12:28 p.m.
A beautiful bequest from Mr. Hétu that you never get tired of hearing, "Je t'attendais" ... A piece of antology.
_______________
Micheline Reed / Quebec, Canada / Thursday April 20, 2017 10:35 am
I will never forget his song I was waiting for you, what sweetness to expect.
_______________
Pierre St-Amant / Lachute, Québec, Canada / Saturday April 8, 2017 6:47 pm
I was watching television and an advertisement from a furniture store going on ... I immediately recognized the song "Je t'attendais" by Daniel Hétu as a soundtrack. Immediately, I grab my iPad and I research Apple Music where I find this song and listen to it in full. My research went to Wikipedia. And ... this is where I learned of the tragedy of his death in 2008. I remember Daniel as a superb musician on the program "Les Tannants" at Télé-Métropole. And little by little, he started singing, on the show and in variety shows which made him larger than life. My research finally led me to danielhetu.com. I know he had a difficult childhood, but I can't stop crying when I think about the final outcome. Even if it happened almost nine years ago, it's still fresh for me. I would like to offer my deepest and sincere simpathies to Mrs. Diane Juteau and give you a big kiss and a big hug and tell you a big THANK YOU for keeping danielhetu.com functional. Daniel ... THANK YOU for the music and the precious memories.
_______________
Patrick Nadeau / Granby, Canada / Wednesday September 28, 2016 9:28 p.m.
Congratulations on this magnificent website in memory of a great missing person. Daniel, again successful, with this vibrant and sincere tribute from Mr. Eugene, to touch us straight to the heart! It is to be hoped that this site will remain in <vie> for a very long time. Congratulations M. Eugene with a sincere heart.
_______________
Louise-Hélène Cantin / Shawinigan, Québec, Canada / Saturday August 13, 2016 9:07 p.m.
Thank you for sharing with us such beautiful memories accompanied by very interesting photos and which immerses us in a not so distant past. However, why not write comments or give the names of those photographed with him? We recognize some, others, we wonder and the others, we move on to the next. I was also happy to see his father Lucien whom we could see regularly on TV. My father loved it and, at my first job, I bought a piece of furniture with a phonograph and all of Lucien's records as a gift. This is how the Hétu entered my life and remain there. Two geniuses. Thank you Sir and rest assured that your site is appreciated.
_______________
Chantal B. / Gramby / Tuesday August 9, 2016 2:52 p.m.
Hello your site is very nice today I am really happy to hear the song I was waiting for you in the announcement of reno depot which makes me relive my teenage daniel was my first love I fell asleep with his songs I had pictures of him everywhere in my room I loved him so much so every time I see the ad it reminds me so much of something Thank you for keeping his memory through this site
_______________
Louise Ferron / Sorel-Tracy, Canada / Tuesday June 7, 2016 2:16 p.m.
I saw Daniel Hétu on the show Les Tannants .... and also on the show artisshow .... I remember that I had painted his portrait and I had given him on the show les tannants ... he was a great artist ... he left us far too young ... I know he will always be present in our hearts and our thoughts ... RIP Daniel ...
_______________
Suzie Boissonneault / Drummondville / Wednesday April 6, 2016 11:13 p.m.
Even 8 years after his death, I have not forgotten this talented musician who was Daniel Hétu. I was fortunate to see him and hear him play on Les Tannants. He was a super nice guy, and exceptionally good at music. He will always be missed. In closing, thank you to this webmaster for keeping this site in the sweet memory of Daniel Hétu.
_______________
Alain Lafond / Waterloo / Sunday, January 26, 2014 10:43 p.m.
Hello, it's to pay tribute to our friend Daniel who composed this beautiful song (Je t'attendais), and now in 2014 this song should come back to life and make the charts to wreak havoc in the world of song as in the show the voice has TVA thank you
_______________
Normand B. / Wednesday, October 16, 2013 7:50 p.m.
Dear Daniel, 5 years have passed since your departure and I still miss you so much. I didn't know you but I would have loved to meet you so much. You marked my adolescence and my life as a young adult. I miss your music and your smile too. See you soon xxxx
_______________
Claude Ringuet / Sunday, April 15, 2012 10:27
Hello. It's a first for me. To contact a person directly on a site for me is a lot but very little compared to the admiration I had and that I still have.
I knew Mr. Hétu on television in Tannant more particularly. I don't know why but Mr. Hétu made me happy when I saw him on television. When I learned of his death, it shocked me. Her beautiful personality and her smile made me happy. Even today, and I believe it will last until the end of my days, I am really sad for his departure. My heart hurts. I understand very well the relatives of mr. Straight from the sadness they feel. His departure is a very significant event for me. Receive you, the relatives of mr. Hétu, my greatest respect. I am glad that mr. Hétu may have people like you in his life. Thank you for giving me the chance to express my sadness for m Hétu I am very happy to have had this chance to share this moment with you.
_______________
Diane Noiseux / Canada / Saturday, March 17, 2012 12:00
I very much appreciated Mr. Daniel Hétu and it is with great regret that I learned of his death. To leave so young and still have many beautiful songs and melodies to give us. I have 2 or 3 vinyl albums and I keep them preciously. What a great man and what a voice he had. He must sing up there with Johnny Farago, Fernand Gignac and others and why not Elvis ... He leaves a big place in my heart and I will continue to hum these songs.
PS: Would it be possible to group his albums and put them on CD? That would be wonderful.
Thank you for leaving us a place to pay tribute to him. Thanks thanks thanks.
_______________
France Nadeau / Canada Wednesday, March 14, 2012 06:14
Hello. I just saw Daniel's new site very interesting, my God I can not believe that it is already 4 years since he left, even if I did not have the chance to know him really, his departure touches me again after all these years ... when I hear her sing or I look at her photos I still have a big heart ... as I already told you I was a great fan of Daniel and with him a part of my adolescence is gone ... even if I am approaching my 50th birthday very quickly ..... finally thank you Eugène for taking this time for your friend, your brother Daniel ... it is very appreciated ...
_______________
Sandy / Belgium Monday, 23. November 2009 15:00
Good evening, it was with amazement that I learned of Daniel's death while browsing the internet. I remember watching the tanners every night, and the artistic world has lost a talented pianist in him, let him rest in peace, he went to join the greatest, I hum his great success I was waiting for you, sincere thoughts .
_______________
Louise / Canada Sunday, November 8, 2009 09:49
Hello, I'm late ... I just heard the news. What a shock! I told myself he works in the shadows ... What talent ... Too bad life is so short but he gave himself to his audience. What an extraordinary man.
N.B. When Daniel left us I was hospitalized, that is the reason for my total ignorance. Thank you Mr. Bérubé for allowing me to pay him a last tribute a little late, but from the bottom of my heart I say thank you Daniel for the good times spent in the company of your beautiful music.
_______________
Annie / Montreal, Thursday, 15. October 2009 23:12
hello daniel you leave us but you will always remain our singer i have a photo threw very young in the time of montreal live with and i will always keep it today i have children and i ride them it is my singer put sympathy to his family annie montreal
_______________
Mireille / Canada Wednesday, 30. September 2009 23:36
Hello I saw Daniel Hétu in temp tanning and the last time I saw Daniel Hétu it was at the 15th of the GG caline that I was happy to see him again I love him guys I have his cd I was waiting I was listening every day and that i had pain when i knew the news and yes yes i have pictures i will scan and master them in his guestbook Damiel we love you very much xxx
_______________
Sarah / Canada, Quebec Monday, 1. December 2008 21:21
Dec 1 .... HAPPY HOLIDAY DANIEL!
I saw Daniel Hétu for the first time on TV at the age of 13. I cut out her photos from the magazines that I used to carry around at school, and that I often looked at. He was the kind of guy I found handsome, smiling, long curly hair, a little embarrassed, reserved. I listened to the Tannants just to perceive it for a few minutes. My interest dropped after his media coverage of his love affair. But I never forgot her birthday, Dec. 1, 1950. Crazy huh? And I think about it every year ... how explained a love at first sight for someone you do not know and that you do not meet? ..... and how explained when January, I spent 3 days in mourning, crying. I revisited my adolescence with my adult eyes. He accompanied me in my favorites. I realized that what Daniel represented, I'm still looking for today. When I bought "I was waiting for you", I kept it that night ..... I listened to it constantly until sunrise. Very beautiful memory full of passion! After reading about his alcohol problems, I realized that I too have been abusing for a few years. Her sad story gave me the courage to take charge. Today, Dec 1, 2008, I am proud of the progress I have made, I have become very aware. I will keep drinking to socialize. I think of Daniel often and it helps me get through it. I hope that on reading his story, we will better understand what was so preoccupying him. It is a great loss. Good luck to Diane who lost her life companion! .... Diane, he was lucky to know a woman of heart like you! ..... Happy birthday Daniel!
_______________
France Nadeau / Canada Saturday, 26. April 2008 13:30
romHello! it's been a long time since Daniel's fans haven't written, so I do ... I'm a real Daniel's fan ... during my adolescence, among other things, I shouldn't have been disturbed when I looked at Daniel on TV ... I think of him often and I feel that since his departure, part of my adolescence has gone with him ... the pain is less great than on the day of his departure, but she is still there ... thank you to all those who keep his memory alive !!! f a big fan ............ France
_______________
Line Guillette / Canada Thursday, 20. March 2008 20:22
In my thoughts .. there will always be an air of I was waiting for you .. when I was 14 I was in love with this song .. Having been with my parents at the recording of the tanners .. I will keep some forever an unforgettable memory .. up there there was surely someone who was singing in his ear ... I was waiting for you .... Daniel Thank you
_______________
Céline Guidi / Canada Monday, 17. March 2008 00:04
hello my sincere sympathy to the family, friend (e), and fan of daniel Me I remember tanning with his song I was waiting for you it made my heart vibrate my children javait 10ans at the time and I went to 39 years old and I still find him very pretty and I am very saddened by his death. farewell daniel your music will remain engraved in our hearts we love you. Céline xxxxx
_______________
Dominique Villeneuve / Canada Saturday, 1. March 2008 08:55
May you find Peace in the choices you have to make, Eugène. I am grateful to you for maintaining this site in honor of Daniel Hétu. Daniel deserves only good. Thank you.
_______________
Josée Béland / La Prairie, Quebec, Canada Friday, February 29, 2008 11:41 PM
Hello, here is my prayer for Daniel, in the afterlife:
Daniel, may your soul finally feel all our sincere gratitude and our deep admiration for having had the exceptional privilege of embodying a musician endowed with an extremely rare musical talent of very very high level. It was an incredible opportunity for us to have known you through television, your albums and shows. Your family and your descendants will be eternally proud of you for having succeeded in touching the hearts of a very large number of Quebecers. Peace be with you, where you are.
- - - -
At the time of Tannants, then 10 years old, I only breathed for him. He was the love of my life! I stood in front of the TV, in black and white, patiently waiting to be able to perceive Daniel for even a few seconds! His death deeply saddened me. I sincerely hope that the musical project he has been working on for 12 years is born. I look forward to his biography. In closing, I would like to thank Eugène for his dedication for setting up this website, a site that allows us to have contact with Daniel's fans. The motto of Quebec is "Je me souviens". We will remember you and your songs Daniel. Thank you for being this conductor, arranger, singer, composer, pianist, in short a unique and exceptional creator.
_______________
Chrisian / Rimouski Saturday, 16. February 2008 17:08
daniel. a thousand thanks for your songs, which I almost have at home. who once when I was a radio presenter here, I was eager to make them turn. Even if the radio sulks people like you who mark our generation, you will remain engraved in my memories during my visit to the Montreal show live, for having given you a handshake. rest in peace and be sure that if I find one of your CDs in store, I buy it and I play it promised. christian
_______________
Sylvie Paquet / Canada Friday, 15. February 2008 14:41
To the family of Mr. Daniel Hétu, I wish to extend my most sincere sympathies. It was with difficulty that I learned of his death yesterday (Valentine's Day). I was humming "I was waiting for you" when a colleague told me the news. I am 43 years old and I remember that at the time of Des Tannants, he made my heart beat with his charming smile and his great talent. I know what it's like to lose a loved one, so I'm with you. He left to join the other great pianists in a different world and they may be happy to be able to play beautiful music together. This is what I wish her.
Yours
_______________
Nathalie Corriveau / CANADA Friday, February 8, 2008 06:14
A big thank you . A big thank you for the tannants, the famous song Je t'attendais which invaded the radio posges of my 20 years.
_______________
Pierre Perpall / Canada Monday, February 4, 2008 3:23 PM
thank you, Daniel, for your talent as a musician composer and arranger, thank you for the good person that you were, you left early, and I hope that your works will survive, your friend Pierre Perpall who loved working with you.
_______________
Lyne / Canada Sunday, February 3, 2008 9:08 p.m.
My most sincere condolences to all his family and to the closest friends. I will never forget this wonderful man he was in his songs and probably as wonderful in life. I did not have the chance to know him but his songs said a lot about this man who seemed to be a good person. Thank you for this beautiful heritage that we will keep forever in our hearts.
Lyne
_______________
Normand / Canada Sunday, 3. February 2008 02:11
I am very sad for his departure. Daniel changed the course of my adolescence and I learned to sing with him. I had his albums and I sang to the sound of his music. If I ever had a voice it was thanks to him ... I loved him very much.
_______________
Sylvie / Canada Friday, 1. February 2008 23:56
My Simpatie has All The Families Daniel Hétu he was the man who made me dream with the song, I Seek a pretty girl and It is pe you in my heart of children I wanted to be this pretty girl me I sang her I t 'was waiting for my little girl's dream set ... he was beautiful with a wonderful smile with a lot of talent and a natural simplicity I will never forget you XxxxX see you in another life
_______________
Mélanie M / canada Wednesday, 30. January 2008 18:14
my most sincere condolences to Mrs. Juteau, to her daughter, to Mr. Bérubé, to her fans. I am 32 years old and I am an unconditional fan of Daniel Hétu. When I was young, I dreamed of marrying him. Since I was very young, my favorite song is JE T'ATTENDAIS. Even today, my entourage does not come back that I hum it so often. Several of his songs accompany my trips by car. I will dare to make a suggestion to Mrs. Juteau as well as to the craftsmen of a bibliography of our idol: it would be appreciated to see as cover page the photo of 2005 where he had the sunglasses on his head. Besides being a handsome man, he was professional and talented. His loss is hard to accept.
_______________
Robert Caldwell / CANADA Wednesday, January 30, 2008 4:31 PM
Hi, I’m writing to you to say that Daniel Hétu was my first organ teacher
_______________
Sylvie Arcand / Canada Tuesday, January 29, 2008 6:39 PM
This song is our love song of mine and my boyfriend. We are 45 years old ... and we had never been able to sing it to anyone despite previous relationships ... Each time we sing it, we hear it, it's magic! I have a lot of pain, I have a tear in my eye ... Daniel had a powerful bond with us all I think ... THANKS DANIEL! THANK YOU! You are unforgettable! UNFORGETTABLE
_______________
Joseé Guilbault / Quebec Tuesday, 29. January 2008 18:35
Daniel you created a lot of success the biggest was Je T'attendais is my favorite song thanks.
_______________
Monique Messier / Canada Tuesday, 29. January 2008 17:40
Daniel will never be forgotten. The artistic world has lost not only a great artist but also a big heart and someone of class. I had the pleasure of meeting him again and again during the tanning period and he always gave his best to his fans. My condolences to Diane and the whole family
_______________
Michel R Tessier / Tuesday, 29. January 2008 13:29
It is always sad to hear the death of a good musician with whom we played. Personally, as a drummer, I have only a good memory of Daniel's professionalism and talent when I played with him and his father for a brief period in the 1970s.
_______________
France Maheux / Canada Monday, 28. January 2008 19:09
I am sorry that death is to take away from us such a talented being generous and kind I listen more my childhood I was waiting for you and this song will remain forever my favorite
_______________
Chantal Levert / Canada Sunday, January 27, 2008 1:40 p.m.
I remember I was very small, I listened to the tanants, I was about 8 years old. But I already had a good taste for men ... I found Daniel so handsome as some of my friends. But all that is a vague memory. It brings me back young, but really beautiful memories. And what about this song I was waiting for you ... I remember I was about 22-23 years old and my best friend and I had been in a used CD and CD store and she bought Daniel's compilation and we I would listen to his songs at the end in my new sports car. But we loved so much to remember our beautiful memories of childhood and especially the beautiful Daniel.
Josh Perreault
hey bravo for your comment Chantal
_______________
Pierrette / Friday, 25. January 2008 23:59
Just like Maxime just said, it is true that Daniel was put aside by the radio and the like, but one thing is certain, Daniel will remain in our hearts forever! Daniel will be missed by Joly this year ... It was a renewed pleasure to find him at the Retro Festival in July. We will have a thought for him and without him, it will never be the same again ... So, from up there, send us the strength to accept your departure. Your smile will remain engraved in our most beautiful memories! May your talent and musical genius finally be revealed soon in the unfinished work that you left in good hands.
Rest in peace...
_______________
Maxime Farago / Friday, 25. January 2008 17:53
My friend Daniel is gone but he leaves us his music which will remain magic, so many memories you have on his songs, the television shows where he was, who does not remember him? Nobody, I really had a great privilege in my life apart from having had Johnny Farago as father, I worked with the best pianist and good guy in the middle of Quebec artists, why should I forget it? Like my father, he sank into despair in this life of a great man forgotten because the media decided so! On TV and on the radio, we don't make you hear what YOU want to hear ..... we make you hear what THEY want you to hear !!! And all this is managed by a small group of 6 people called THE HEARING COMMITTEE and it is they who decide what goes and what doesn't! When a big party ..... do they have no remorse? .... In the USA and in Europe it is different, we hear them still and always ... the big ones who marked the music, and Daniel was one of those and who was in addition THE musicians who allowed a good artists to be able to perform in a show with the best musical arrangements made by a Great ..... Daniel Hétu, my friend rest in peace, I will continue to spread your music through my shows my friend, Word of Farago. ..
Thanks Daniel
Sincerely Maxime Farago ... your friend
_______________
Marie / Canada Thursday, 24. January 2008 11:11
I am very happy that we can express our thoughts through this guest book, it allows us, people who liked Daniel to be able to say how much we loved him, how much we found him talented and how much we wanted see him again on TV. I saw Daniel for the first time at the tannants and since that time, I have never stopped finding that this man seemed sincere and sympathetic. So, I join all those who have already written to you to offer my deepest condolences and that we, too, we mourn it, it will never be replaced!
_______________
Daniel / Canada Wednesday, January 23, 2008 22:34
I am currently listening to his songs and I have chills, Bravo!
_______________
Dominique Villeneuve / Canada Monday, January 21, 2008 5:22 pm
I have always enjoyed Daniel Hétu. It was part of my childhood, my adolescence, my adult life. Every December 1 I had a thought for him. And I will continue like this. I would like to underline to what extent I find that Diane Juteau and Eugène L. Bérubé both gave very nice interviews [LCN, 98.5 FM ...], full of compassion, transparency and it's all to their credit. Thank you for your generosity (to all of us: the fans) Good luck and lots of love to you.
_______________
Alice M / New Brunswick Canada Monday, 21. January 2008 14:58
Hello. I would like to offer my sympathies to the whole family of Daniel and his friends. I knew Daniel during the time of the show '' Montreal live '' It was not hard to see that this nice young man had a crazy talent and wonderful. Daniel You have to embellish the paradise with your music, don't make the angels dance too much. You will never be forgotten .. Bizzz to all the family.
_______________
Martin / Canada Sunday, 20. January 2008 18:55
I just wanted to say I am a 34 year old person and my mother loved daniel very much and I was raised with the famous song * I tattendais * in addition I listen to it again today it was a lot of trouble to know the bad news then joffre but sympathy to everyone who loved daniel and my always remember him xxxxxx
_______________
France Nadeau / Sunday, 20. January 2008 17:57
I would just like to say thank you to all those who encouraged Daniel during his career, who were there good weather, bad weather and who make sure that we will never forget him ... Thank you ...... .
_______________
Denis Leclerc / Canada Sunday, 20. January 2008 17:46
Sincere Condolences to Diane, Dina and to you Eugène. I'll never forget Daniel.
Denis aka the welder
_______________
Normand Berube / Canada Sunday, 20. January 2008 17:15
Sincere condolences to the family and good luck in future endeavors
we are with you .....
_______________
Line / Sunday, 20. January 2008
My sincere condolences to the whole family and BRAVO! for all the interviews you have done I have known all followed and thank you for telling the whole truth about Daniel and all his life. THANK YOU ! again and continue to fulfill your dreams!
* *
*
This document has been translated from french with the help of Google translate
Tributes from the artistic community
- Classified in alphabetical order -
Richard Abel
When I think of Daniel Hétu, somewhere, I see a certain similarity with the great André Mathieu, because both have been underestimated and their great talents ignored by many. In the case of André Mathieu, it will have taken an Alain Lefebvre to make him known at its true value. In a completely different measure, I too wanted to make Daniel's immense talent known by offering him to make a Christmas album with a large orchestra. I can still see the sparkle in his eyes when I told him about the oboe (a magnificent instrument for which he hadn't written for so long ...), clarinet, flute, cellos, etc. He then said to me: "Finally, an album with real instruments! I'm going to have to bring out my pencil! ” Fate wanted it to be the last record he made before he left us. However, this same fate will give us great recognition: this disc won a Félix for the best instrumental album of the year. If my interpretation has anything to do with it, I am convinced that Daniel’s magnificent musical arrangements have greatly contributed to this recognition of the Industry. I would also add that the more beautiful the arrangements, the better the interpretation ... I continued to pay tribute to him at each of my Christmas concerts. 04/21/2010
René Angélil
I got to know Daniel Hétu when he was a young conductor, considered a prodigy even, his musical studies had been so brilliant. He studied piano at the age of four and was named best organist in the world, in Japan, at 21 years old! He worked alongside me with René Simard and I used his talent thereafter on numerous occasions, notably for Ginette Reno, whose career I managed at the time. So when I was presented with a Céline cassette singing "Ce n'était qu'un rêve (It was only a dream)", it was obvious to me that Daniel was the ideal musician to arrange and direct it. I have always had confidence in his immense talent, I knew that it needed a master to orchestrate this ballad which was going to serve me as a key to open the doors of the trade to a 13 year old girl with a unique voice. Céline and Daniel had in common the fact that they had music in their skin from a very young age. He learned it from the greatest classical musicians here and she, gifted with a musicality from elsewhere. Daniel left us too soon and no one replaced him in the hearts of Quebecers who loved his voice, his soft music and his natural romanticism. 04/19/2010
Jean Claude Arsenault
Hello Mr. Archambault, .e… .. hello Mr. Coutu !!!. This was how Daniel and I approached each other in front of the audience at the "Health and Prevention" meetings. It was during these encounters that I had the pleasure and the privilege of knowing and becoming friends with this being that I consider extraordinary. A deep friendship is not about how many years you have known someone, but rather how intense you have been with them. Daniel, this prodigy that I worked with for a few years made me discover his talents as a composer, performer, musician, musical arranger, musical director and so on, often ignored by many in the artistic world in favor of gossip and bad jealousy placed. In addition to sharing a good Bloody Mary with him after a meeting, we were talking about music because I had played the piano in clubs in Quebec in the 60s and 70s. There the comparison ends. You have to look at your career to realize my friend's immense talent. One evening in 2006, during a tour of Quebec, we were in Matane, unable to take the ferry to Godbout due to a serious storm. At the hotel there was a small bar with a superb grand piano. I then asked Daniel to play me real piano because he accompanied the tour artists with his pre-programmed keyboard !!!. The hour that followed made me appreciate the crazy talent as a pianist that my half Daniel had. Since his departure, unfortunately too quickly, I regularly look at photos on my computer which reminds me of good times spent with Mr. Coutu !! Jean Claude Arsenault (friend) (17-03-2010)
Charles Barbeau
A word about Daniel I worked with Daniel for several years on the TVA network, at the time better known as Télé-Métropole, on numerous television programs such as “Montreal en direct”, with Pierre Marcotte, the program “De bonne humor ”with Michel Louvain as well as the evening show with Michel Jasmin. I was Daniel's regular keyboard player at the time. So he was my conductor, a position I held later in my career, and I learned all the ins and outs of the trade from him. Daniel was an outstanding musician. Not only was he an exceptional pianist (he studied, like me, at the Vincent-D’Indy School of International Music) but he no longer had an incomparable ear. I often saw Daniel accompany a singer or a singer called at the last minute who arrived on the set without a score, without any audio document of his song, and Daniel with a big smile asked him to sing a little bit of it and he began to accompany him without delay, in the right key, with the appropriate nuances, as if he had had the score in front of his eyes Once this first "reading" was complete, he turned to the orchestra, gave us the key and the title of the song and we had to make do with that! Daniel, being a very busy man, did not always have punctuality as a virtue. Sometimes she was late for rehearsals. Rehearsals he didn't really need anyway due to the magnitude of his talent. I've seen him shout a sheet music in his car on his way to the studio before. Sometimes I replaced him during rehearsals because he couldn't make it on time. I am very grateful to him because I learned part of my trade this way. I will always remember a day when I took his place at the piano for rehearsal and an opera singer showed up with his sheet music that I had never read. It was "Le rondeau du Colporteur" (I remember the title very well….!). I had, with difficulty and misery, managed to get out and do the camera rehearsals without too much fault. I had still performed the piece two or three times for rehearsals and was starting to "get hold of it." When Daniel introduced himself, about an hour before the live recording, I told him about the material to be played for the show while specifying that the operetta piece was not easy to read at. vue and that if he preferred that I play it on the piano he had only to make a sign to me. Well ... it was really bad to know Daniel Hétu. When the host introduced the opera singer I was ready to lead from my keyboards to the piano when I heard the first notes of the intro .... played by Daniel on the Piano! He performed the piece flawlessly, even allowing himself subtle nuances while coloring the score of "Chopinesque" flights! That was Daniel. A great musician with a great sense of humor. I have never laughed so much in those busy years of television. Unfortunately, around the 1990s, our paths no longer crossed. Work requires… .. I would have liked to see Daniel again, but he left us so suddenly. I keep, on the other hand, inexhaustible memories of those years spent by his side. See you later, Daniel Charles Barbeau (Conductor) (19-04-2010)
Richard Beaudet
Daniel was one of the greatest chefs I have had the chance to work with. When I started my career as a musician, he was the first person to hire me as a saxophonist on a TV show (Les Tannants à Télé-Métropole). We then became good friends. We played hockey together for several seasons and we bonded even more. Daniel was an exceptional musician. His talent was extraordinary; he had perfect pitch and he was a very talented arranger. He will have been, without a doubt, a turning point in my career and it is thanks to him that I have exercised this profession. So, thank you very much Daniel for your friendship, your encouragement and your generosity. Richard Beaudet (Musician, best saxophone for Daniel)
Jean Beaulne
Dear Daniel Quebec has just lost a Great Talent. You have received an invaluable gift from God and you have been able to make it bear fruit.You have shown this gift as a musical arranger for the greatest Quebec artists and also as a singer, because you had an exceptional voice.You have had success in several television series and you have been able to get through difficult moments in this artistic environment. On behalf of all these artists, I thank you for all that you have given us. Thank you !! We will never forget you.
Léon Benier
Daniel and I were friends. As we were two pianists, we never had the opportunity to work together but I know, having heard him play that he was a great pianist and organist. Once I got sick and had to quit "Boubou" in the middle of rehearsal. Daniel replaced me on short notice without having done any practice with the artists and got off in an impeccable fashion. This is the mark of a good musician. Léon Benier (Pianist and conductor, friend) (29-03-2010)
Denis Carignan et Carmen Cloutier
Daniel Hétu who we regret
It is a privilege for us to write a note about Daniel. We have had the chance to work with him about 30 times. As a musician, his greatest quality was always to make the artists they accompanied look very well. This by his unparalleled musical arrangements and also by his way of performing. In our shows, he accompanied Patrick Zabé, Jacques Salvail, Maxime Farago, Renée Martel, Tony Marsarelli, Paolo Noël, Guy Harvey, Claude Valade, Serge Laprade, Rosita Salvador, Pierret Beauchamp, Michel Stax, Hélène Laflèche (Les Milady's) Martin Stevens, Pière Sénécal, Christine Chartrand and I forget. In addition, he was a regular at the Festival Rétro de Joly, where we work. As a singer, people liked him. His big hits, his Youth Today and Elvis medleys were a dream to many people. On the human side he was a fragile being, a bit tortured as great talents often are. With his wife Diane we made the Quebec Chicoutimi trip together. He found the trip a bit long as it was non-smoking in our vehicle. We got close enough for him to tell us about his childhood, so we remember the great times we had together. He liked teasing and it was the same for us. We are very happy to have worked with him.
Denis Carignan, Carmen Cloutier. (Producers Festival Joly)
Charlotte et Hervé
What a musician, what an orchestrator, it is not because the circumstances lend themselves to it that the brilliant composer André Mathieu had qualified him as his best student. (Very young Daniel Hétu was the pupil of André Mathieu) musically speaking he is by far the most gifted pupil to have laid his fingers on the keys of this piano which however has already welcomed and heard many others he had said of him. How not to believe in his exceptional talent when the compliment is addressed by such a monument. No doubt that up there in the section reserved for musicians Daniel Hétu was chosen by his peers to conduct the Divine Sound Symphony Orchestra . Charlotte and Hervé (Singers and friends) 03/2010
Marc Dupré
In the early 1980s, I spent the summer with my grandparents. I loved it because my grandma is the best cook in the world !! She was a good cook, a good grandmother, but especially the number 1 fan of Daniel Hétu !!! She didn't miss a Tannants show (show in which Daniel was the conductor) so every evening at supper time it was sacred… we ate while watching the Tannants. And if someone had the misfortune to speak while HER Daniel was singing, he would be reprimanded for sure !!! "We don't say a word when my Daniel sings chutttt" Many years later, at least once a month I still had this melody that came back to my mind "Je t'attendais (I was waiting for you)" and it reminded me of beautiful memories childhood! This song was so good to me that I decided to share it with the others ... .. and I interpreted it in my own way in one of my shows. Each time I saw lots of people singing it with me !! A hit is a hit !! When I went to do the Special Request program, I was asked if I wanted to do a duet… immediately I proposed a duet with Daniel Hétu, I thought that he probably wouldn't accept, but at my surprise I was confirmed the next day that it would be done !!!! I immediately thought of my grandmother who would be so proud to see her grandson sing with her idol 25 years later !!! It was an unforgettable moment…. And since that day Daniel I am your number 1 fan… .sorry number 2 after my Grandmother !! Your friend Marc xx 04/22/2010
Maxime Farago
My friend Daniel is gone but he leaves us his music which will remain magic, so many memories you have on his songs, the television shows where he was, who does not remember him? Nobody, I really had a great privilege in my life apart from having had Johnny Farago as father, I worked with the best pianist and good guy in the middle of Quebec artists, why should I forget it? Like my father, he sank into despair in this life of a great man forgotten because the media decided so! On television and on the radio, we don't make you hear what YOU want to hear ..... we make you hear what THEY want you to hear !!! And all this is managed by a small group of 6 people called THE HEARING COMMITTEE and it is they who decide what goes and what doesn't! When a big party ..... do they have no remorse? .... In the USA and in Europe it is different, we hear them still and always ... the big ones who marked the music, and Daniel was one of those and who was in addition THE musicians who allowed good artists to be able to perform in a show with the best musical arrangements made by a Great ..... Daniel Hétu, my friend rest in peace, I will continue to spread your music through my shows my friend, Word of Farago. .. Thanks Daniel Sincerely Maxime Farago ... your friend 01/25/2008
-------------------------------
* added 12/31/2021 Like many Quebecers, I saw Daniel have his first shows on TVA, I was a little apart from others of my age, I listened to the shows that the older ones liked, music played a big part in my life and on a program of Piere Lalonde l'Arti-show… I discovered Daniel and his band of musician, I found him to be sympathetic, then there was this record… .. I was waiting for youI am surely the first boy in Quebec to have learned it by heart and have it in my repertoire which only had two or three songs !!! There were the Elvis competitions at "Montreal Live" and at the "Tannants" and I, who was a real Elvis fan, dreamed of going there and singing and being accompanied by Daniel Hétu !!!! It was only a dream!! A few years later my dream was going to come true, Roger Sylvain managed to get me to appear on Michel Louvain's program "In a good mood" ... by saying that I was the hidden son of Johnny Farago, under the name of Maxime Marshall j I sang “The way it used to be” by Engelbert Humperdinck and accompanied by Daniel Hétu himself !! My first appearance on television, my first sheet of music written for me, it was with Daniel that it happened, what luck! I saw Daniel a few times afterwards but without getting close to him, he was a Star and I was the little guy who dreamed of becoming one! Until the day when Johnny and I were trying to put on a show in honor of the 20th anniversary of Elvis' death, Johnny then said to me, "I WILL ASK DANIEL HÉTU TO JOIN US AS THE CHIEF OF THE ORCHESTRA. ! " I said "DO YOU THINK HE WOULD ACCEPT?" »And he affirmed to me that yes he was quite certain of it, an …… Daniel accepted, my father was so proud and me as well as Daniel joined us for this tour which will have started on July 21, 1997 and not will be the only show to have been presented because Johnny suffered a heart attack followed by a brain aneurysm on July 29 the very morning we were all due to attend the Elvis Story play at the first table near the scene with our whole gang of our tour, on the 31st my father was unplugged from the machines that kept him artificially alive. Daniel also did the lyrics to my father's song LE KING N’EST PLUS, my father had nothing but praise and even very good praise for Daniel. Daniel and Diane then offered me their comfort and their support to deal with the media that bombarded me from all sides, we then decided to continue what we had started with Johnny and we presented a performance at the Francofolies de Montreal, Daniel was now MY FRIEND and my pianist and conductor for what followed for some time thereafter, the dust settled and there was a little unease that settled between us for a very personal reason for us and we were several months without having any contact together, I really regretted this time because I liked Daniel a lot, really a lot… ..I saw him again a little before his illness and we had to renew this friendship somewhat, but it was still fragile since this little hitch did not target me and Daniel directly. Today me and Diane have reconnected and I'm proud of it. Today in my websites and in my shows I make room for my friend Daniel and by the same token I received from his wife the soundtracks of his own show that I can now sing again accompanied by him! ! So when you hear me sing a Daniel song, it's Daniel who will accompany me Hi Daniel, I miss you my friend I love you Your fan, your friend, Maxime Farago (Singer and friend)
Pierre Harel
The unforgettable Daniel Hétu,
How many pianist musicians, polyinstrumentists, arrangers and composers can boast of having studied composition and pianistic interpretation with the great André Mathieu, nicknamed the "Quebec Mozart", one of the most important associated composers, like Rachmaninov, in postromantic school? How many accompanists of popular singers, with the known exception of my friend Scott Price the current conductor of Céline Dion, have pursued high level university studies in music? How many of all these musicians in the service of the glory and fortune of others have themselves tasted the success of having composed and performed at least one song that reached the highest peaks of French-speaking popular music scores in Quebec like in Canada?
THE PRODIGE CHILD
Daniel Hétu was a child prodigy in every sense of the word. At the age of four he started piano lessons with the renowned concert pianist and composer, André Mathieu, which could have influenced his choice to go later on to the "popular" rather than the "classical". Despite his international notoriety, this important creator who fell into oblivion was not doing much and had to give private lessons to survive decently. At the age of eleven, Daniel recorded his first 45rpm from one of his original compositions entitled: The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, which earned him the CKAC Grand Prize for Canadian disc children's section. At 21, Daniel represented Canada at the Yamaha International Organ Competition in Japan, while 28 countries were represented. He won first place and received the grand prize for "the best organist in the world". This is not surprising given that Daniel is the son of Lucien Hétu, famous songwriter and organist who sold more than a million albums during his Quebec, Canadian and international career.
A HARD WIN
Although he was recognized and highly appreciated for his work as an accompanist and conductor at Télé-Métropole (TVA) for major programs, although he was sought after by all the major international French-speaking artists coming to shoot in Quebec, although he has largely earned his living from his notorious musical virtuosity, and although he has managed to reach the top of notoriety with several of his famous successful ballads, Daniel bore in him cruel disappointment, to the Like his first master, André Mathieu, for not having been loved, admired, and recognized in Quebec for the depth of his genius as a composer and pianist in the field of great music called "classical". Like so many other Quebec artists who have received advanced training, possessing innate talents that would have called the greatest roles, the most prestigious exhibitions, the most important concerts, all over the world, Daniel Hétu had no other choice than to retain this ambitious dream to earn a living in a Quebec so large geographically and at the same time so small. His master André Mathieu, despite his precious talent and an important international notoriety having placed him among the greatest composers of the 21st century, did he not live an almost miserable life when they met?
FROM CLASSIC TO POPULAR
What he was able to sacrifice from great art to popular music was not in vain. He wrote the lyrics and composed the music for numerous songs that have made the happiness and pleasure of tens of thousands of Quebecers, and continue to do so. These days we often hear in a commercial ad at TVA an extract from the famous song which gave him a double gold record in 1977-78: I was waiting for you. I invite you to go to YouTube, to type "Daniel Hétu" in search, and you will be able to listen with pleasure to some of his beautiful songs today almost forgotten. "Everything goes by, everything gets tired", they say, especially when it comes to artistic popularity, isn't it? Poets and creators, whoever they are, have never had it easy ...
Good week.
Pierre Harel Column on Canoe.ca Tuesday August 9, 2016 10:23 am
Corey Hart
I met Daniel Hetu when I was a teenager living in Montreal. One out of a million other young kids with a dream of being a famous singer-songwriter one day. Daniel would listen to my melodies carefully as I would perform them live for him on the piano. Those Demos with Daniel were some of my first ever recorded. He was a gifted pianist. His ability to interpret my songs with positive feedback gave me much needed confidence, I remember him fondly as a kind, dedicated musician. I consider myself fortunate to have had the chance to work with Daniel at such an impressionable age. Peace 04/22/2010
Guy Harvey
Hello, I am not a great writer but I can surely say a few words for my friend, I should say, our friend Daniel, I worked with him several times when he sang it was perfect and when he accompanied us it was still perfect first Daniel was lucky, the gift of having an absolute ear, in addition he could compose it is not given to everyone else, on God is a Woman. I had the honor of working with him and also the sisters of Céline Dion as well as Guylaine Tanguay and of course my son Pierre, what a great adventure, unfortunately it did not end for Daniel's taste and you have why ... what more can a pianist make jealous, we can say that we lost. The pianist of Quebec …… .where you are Daniel there must surely be very beautiful melodies Surely one day I will sing one or two with you.
Evan Joanness
Like so many people, I first knew Daniel as a pianist and then as an excellent musical arranger, composer and singer. A person with an unwavering zest for life. I am grateful for the friendship, the artistic complicity, the laughs, the anxieties of the profession and the musical knowledge that we shared. He has often been a great help to me in carrying out my career plans. When Daniel was composing music for me, the lyrics of my songs really made sense, he always knew how to match music and lyrics to make my songs unforgettable. He was an extraordinary artist, a genius, a professional capable of writing music with his heart as well as with his head. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to leave a legacy because of a ruthless illness that struck him down but he will still be alive in my heart. A forever friend Evan Joanness.
Yves Lagacé
Daniel: a talented musician and a bon vivant. Daniel, what memories you bring back to me!
Very young, we headed for Quebec, the automobile full of instruments. We are living in the present moment. We are on a mission: we are going to record a disc in a private house. What a challenge! A few years later, it was our first trip to Paris. After a few days of working on French TV we absolutely wanted to see everything about this magnificent city. It was intense, very intense… What an adventure! On the way back, it was the Télé-Métropole years. What luck !
Daniel, you lived like a Formula 1. Your sudden departure surprised and saddened us all.
Dear teammate, I salute you. Yves Lagacé (Daniel's Drummer on TV) (17-02-2009)
Serge Laprade
From one friend to another ... who is no longer, It is always easy to praise a missing person with compliments. What is less easy is to say the real things as they were perceived and what one could have told him while he was alive. It is with this deep friendship, that I am about to give you the depths of my thoughts without low flattery and without interest other than that of describing to you, in short for obvious, the artist and the person I have known.
Like all of you from the public and the artistic colony who have followed Daniel Hétu's career since his beginnings, I have always recognized the artist's great talent. I unfortunately knew the person, only 11 years before his death. Our friendship was brief, but intense. He told me almost everything about him and so did I, almost ... everything. So I can tell you bluntly that he had already decided for a long time to enjoy life, without limits. It was his right, his choice and it was his life after all. He probably paid the price. Wasn't he the son of the great artist who was his father Lucien Hétu? However, the artistic performances, both vocal and musical, were never in doubt, because Daniel was a great professional. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a cocktail party in the fall of 1996. He was, I must say, going throuw a rought phase. You should know immediately that Daniel with his great sensitivity and exceptional talent could only live very big "high" and very big "down". Isn't it also very often the mark of the great artists of this world, These are characteristics which do not generally lie. So it was let's say his case. At that time work was scarce and he was aware that his star had turned pale, but his passion was intact, the conversation that we had at that time started a friendly relationship of the type "when it clicks, it clicks", which ultimately lasted 11 years. It was on this occasion that suddenly and humbly he offered me his services as musicians, voice, orchestrator and accompanist. He took the opportunity to introduce me to the woman of his life, his partner and manager Diane Juteau. I took a few days to think about it and that's when we agreed to collaborate. From a first project, to an evening engagement, to another project and another engagement, we have come to know each other better and become inseparable. Our friendship only grew even if we had diametrically opposed styles, visions and personalities. This surely confirms that opposites attract each other. So I learned who the being and the artist was ... probably him too. I therefore had respect for his talent and our amusing complicity at the level of the artist and I loved the individual for his generosity, his availability, sometimes even for an uneasiness that appeared on the horizon from time to time . Beneath the appearance of a mature man, in control of his emotions, hid a child's heart that made him move., Dear Daniel ..., that’s also friendship: listening and understanding. I knew I could count on him and he on me. In November 2007, we had just completed a fabulous tour of shows in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, following a tour across Quebec a few months earlier. Like every year, I call Daniel the day before his birthday to offer him my wishes, December 1 being his date of birth and everything seemed to be going very well. Two days later or a few days later his wife Diane calls me to let me know that Daniel has just been hospitalized in an emergency and that this seems to be serious. At these times, communications are always difficult and the why and how are not always answered. This is often due to panic and the lack of information that is offered to loved ones themselves. So I don't insist and wait for the news. A few days later, he is still under analysis, but I am informed that I can visit him around December 15. I find a friend in his bed, a little in disagreement, but still jovial. With his very particular humor, he tells me that he appreciates my visit and that he has plans. It's a good sign. The best clue he’s going to recover is from my point of view that he’s joking with the nurses (I won’t surprise you by saying that Mr. Hétu has always been very successful with the fairer sex). From one nurse to another he would say "Je t'attendais (I was waiting for you)" ... you know the song. Ladykiller and funny with that! We all hoped that life would spare him, but unfortunately I could not pay him a second visit scheduled for Christmas Eve. He left us gently in the first week of January 2008. It was a great loss for all. I will therefore keep an unforgettable memory of the gift that life gave me by rubbing shoulders during the last 11 years of his life, one of the best musicians of his generation, author, composer and performer and a being fundamentally in love with life, I will certainly never be ashamed to remember Daniel Hétu as a very talented friend who is sincere, sensitive, funny and human. I hope that his last dreams will be realized in recognition of a being and an artist who has left an indelible mark on Quebec culture. We can reserve a "standing ovation" for his stay with us.
Goodbye friend, Sincerely, your old friend Serge Laprade
Mario Lirette
Daniel Hétu ... A man, a genius, a musician, an arranger, a virtuoso, an accompanist, a composer, a concert artist, a performer, a singer, an artist, a pianist, Daniel Hétu was all that and much more . Above all, Daniel was my friend, whom I regret having lost too soon. There are, and there will always be artists, but never more, there will be no Daniel Hétu. Mario Lirette (sincere friend) 03/2010
Denis S. Pantis
We know that Daniel is the son of Lucien Hétu and that he was a child prodigy. From a young age until the end of his life, music was his passion. What impressed me most about him was his preparation and professionalism, whether for television shows such as "Les Tannants", "De bon humeur" and "Un air d'été" as well as his arrangements for artists such as Michel Louvain (La dame en bleu), himself (Je t'attendais) and many others. He touched on all aspects of show business, from organizing shows to his own "Visa" label. I will always remember his humility and generosity with his work mates, and especially his patience to complete his obligations at work. The Quebec musical world owes him great recognition.
Pierre Perpall
Thank you, Daniel, for your talent as a musician, composer and arranger, thank you for the good person that you were, you left early, and I hope that your works will survive, your friend Pierre Perpall who enjoyed working with you. 02/04/2008
Daniel Piché
I got to know Daniel around 1070 or 1971 when I was still an 18-year-old beginner and we were both studying at the Vincent d'Indy School of Music. In his case, he already had a few records to his credit as a solo pianist and occasionally wrote musical arrangements for the artists of the RCA Company. He was already almost a star and at the very least a child prodigy. And I was very envious of having already a fairly established career in the "show business" of the time. I probably saw him larger than life but he was my idol and I hoped I could look like him someday. I wanted to write the arrangements, for my own songs, but I was just starting to read the music. Then gradually, we became friends and he invited me to his place so that I could play my songs for him. He had (before everyone else) a studio-house in the basement of the family residence. I was impressed to have been admitted to his "music lab" as he liked to call it. As he found my material interesting, he offered to record a demo (my first professional demo) which would possibly allow me to get a record deal. I obviously accepted. It was as if John Williams had invited me to his home no less. Then we got down to business. Me on the guitar and he on all the other instruments: Piano, bass, drums, organ, vibraphone and backing vocals… Wow! I was in 7th heaven. Finally, I had a recording that I could be proud of ... Then, as I wanted to write arrangements too, he offered to give me lessons to share his knowledge with me. Which he did for almost two years, twice a week ... I would almost venture to say that what I learned there has served me immensely and still serves me today. And that's, it is, what allowed me to enter McGill University to do my Masters in Arranging and Orchestration. And probably all of that would never have come to fruition if it hadn't been for him. Ultimately, what I will take away from the character is that his talent was immense in every way. But like many great creators of this world, unfortunately, neither life nor the artistic community has ever recognized it at its true value. But I know it and I remember it. Thanks Daniel! Daniel Piché (Conductor) (13-04-2010)
Gilles Pinard
I got to know Daniel in 1974 and we worked together for a number of years. Daniel was the conductor most in demand with an exceptional talent he always managed to deliver the orders that were asked of him and this even if it was last minute requests because in this profession there are situations which are frequent. We also shared certain activities like playing hockey. We lost sight of each other for a while, Daniel being in the United States for work. We got back in touch when he got back we talked and saw each other occasionally and it was always nice to see each other again, like two good friends. Daniel was a person who loved life. His passing was a shock to me and to many people. I will always have fond memories of Daniel.
Friendships Gilles Pinard (07-01-2009) (guitarist for Daniel on TV)
Guy Rhéaume (Studio GR)
Animated by the desire to meet the best musicians of Quebec one day I was introduced to DANIEL HÉTU a young musician who works with his father LUCIEN. This project, intended to be a Christmas mic, showed me how talented Quebec is. Daniel played just about every instrument on the record, from piano to percussion. Some time later DANIEL came to the studio with the first synthesizer of the time, very innovative… .. it is in 1969. All the projects that we touched afterwards were successful, even the disc “ JE T'ATTENDAIS ”that we made together won a gold record. Hard worker our last project won a Felix for the instrumental album of the year and DANIEL was sick during the recording it was our last project together. Not only is Quebec losing a great talent, but I am losing a friend. 04/20/2010
Michelle Richard
The passion that united me to Daniel is music. Because for me better than anyone could savor his talent, could savor the arrangements he was refining for me and could savor the pleasures of life that I always have and he doesn't. He was extravagant as I know it, he was intelligent as I would like to be and sensitive as I happen to be. A very great artist and my evenings with him looked like an hour, his music that floated in the air at home he has always been and will always be irreplaceable. 04/20/2010
Guy V Robillard
To my friend Daniel Here is Guy V Robillard your director who has become your friend over time. I knew you in the 70s, director at Télé-Métropole, Arti Show, Les Tannants, De Bonne Humeur Daniel, talented, best conductor at the time the only one who wrote arrangements in no time. 1988 we lose sight of each other, because of your forced departure… .. I retire some time later, I live near the river in the east, one day I walk on the cycle path, Bellerive track, I see a guy on a bicycle and it's Daniel, I shout Daniel is it you, he turns around, it was him, what a joy to find him again. It was like finding my son my brother, I don't know, there was no more job, no car, no money, he lived in a 1 and a half, but he accepted his life, always smiling, I l 'Invited for a beer at my house we discussed and shared different things. He often came back in the afternoon to chat. I didn't like him. At the end of the summer his wife Diane Revena in the portrait he was happy, they rented the apartment upstairs from my cousin rue Gonthier in the east. Daniel didn't like innocent people late ... He often growled. Daniel had become a great friend to me and his Diane too, what a beautiful person, on her death Diane made me make a copy of Daniel's painting and gave it to me as a souvenir, thank you Diane. Goodbye Daniel Guy V Robillard (Télé-Métropole Director, neighbor and friend
Pierre Sénécal
I knew him when he was 5 years old, he can't remember. When I meet him again, 15 years later, he was already a great pianist that all conductors were fighting over. A little later, we went up on the same stage, Salle Wilfrid Pelletier to accompany Ginette Reno. It was him, the youngest, that she had entrusted to write her arrangements and to conduct the large orchestra and the choristers of which I was a part. It was fascinating to see the mastership he possessed. I was smug with admiration. He never knew. Yet we often worked together. Today Daniel, I tell you. You know the rest. Daniel has become a star. But that's not what's important. Daniel is part of this very rare breed, that of true artists. And I weigh my words. I would always be proud to tell people that just like him, I was born on December 1st. It's reassuring. My dear Daniel, I renew all my friendship to you. Good 25th and BRAVO
-----------------------------
We were born exactly eight years apart (me in 1942 and him in 1950). Every first of December, we made it a point to wish each other "happy birthday" on the phone, for ages. A real speed contest: the first to call the other. Over time, several points in common have made us friends, starting from our boundless attachment to music and the mutual respect we felt. As a child, his piano teacher, André Mathieu - not just anyone - called him a rare breed of musician. In his early twenties, he signed magnificent arrangements and was already conducting large orchestras. I know this for having worked under his direction as a chorister, whether for Ginette Reno, René Simard or others. Daniel impressed me with his immense talent and his foolproof confidence. No wonder he became, in the 1970s, the most sought-after conductor in Quebec music. Daniel Hétu had ears “that big!” If the public has especially remembered his great success as a singer "I was waiting for you", I can say that for Daniel, this song was only a traveling stage instead of a great artistic career. A tour across Quebec in 2002 allowed us to strengthen our old friendship. Neither of us having the business “bump” (and tax shelters0), all our savings had ended up one day in government coffers. In the car every day, we teased each other about it taking turns while gulping down industrial quantities of red licorice. That way, morale remained intact. We didn't ask for more! That “…” and the love of loved ones. I miss you Daniel Pierre Sénécal (Singer and friend) (March 2010)
René Simard
Personally when I think of Daniel, the first thing that comes to my mind is that he was someone very positive, with him there was never a problem everything was possible. We have traveled a lot together on tour in Quebec and the United States and I always felt confident and very proud to present him because he had an exceptional talent. In addition, Daniel was extremely generous and his friends could count on him.
Guy St-Onge
When I was 20, the name Daniel Hétu was synonymous with talent and achievement. I saw him on TV conducting his orchestra and he was an inspiration. I've had the chance to get to know him a little more over the years and our relationship has always been cordial, we met each other at TELE-METROPOLE and in the studio. One day, I went to his place in Boucherville and when I saw his studio in the basement of Salt Residence, I saw that anything was possible. Family, child, home, studio and career… He was showing me the way! Thanks Daniel. Guy St-Onge (Conductor) (25-03-2010)
Manuel Tadros
Daniel was a friend. Because I spent a lot of time with him not only making music but being a listening ear to his life and he was grateful to me. We didn't take much seriously, that's true, except for listening to each other when it was time to do it. But we quickly returned to our laughs. Two children's hearts! It's like that! I also wrote songs for Daniel (about 5) and coached him in the studio for his vocals. We had a lot of fun in those moments! It was good to see Daniel listening without too insisting on being right. He had that humility of talented and curious people. He was a great pianist with an exceptional ear. This talent has not been recognized enough in him. People are often blinded by success, but most of the time they forget the deep source of the being that begets it. Daniel, you left too quickly. You may have enjoyed life well ... maybe a little too much elsewhere. We will not play ostrich. But the image of your naughty smile often reminds me of how sensitive, generous and friendly you were. Above all, don't forget to please on our music ... so that we don't play out of tune. It broke your ears so much !! Your friend Manuel Tadros (actor-singer, composer and friend)
Michel R Tessier
It is always sad to learn the death of a good musician with whom we played. Personally, as a drummer, I have only a good memory of Daniel's professionalism and talent when I played with him and his father for a brief period in the 1970s. 01/29/2008
Shirley Théroux
One day this little Mozart (son of Lucien) arrived, his name: Daniel Hétu. My first meeting, Télé-Métropole on the Télé-Métro program, you came from a composition and writing internship in Europe… .. you performed on the organ a piece that required a lot of dexterity we all fell in love and were impressed by so much talent ……… Like all great musicians in this world, you lived in the hope that one day your real talent as a composer would be recognized and that your musical would be performed on stage here at home in Quebec. I had the chance to sing accompanied by you, always it was happy moments filled with pure happiness for my ears, and my heart. Daniel, you the great romantic with sometimes abrupt exterior, you were able to move us and the Quebec public sincerely loved you. Tender kiss Shirley Théroux (Singer and friend)