Gilbert Montagné

Gilbert Montagné (French pronunciation: [ʒilbɛʁ mɔ̃taɲe]; born 28 December 1951) is a French singer, musician, pianist and organist from the Ménilmontant neighbourhood of Paris and Bourbonnais historical region of central France. Blind since shortly after birth, he is best known for his international hit "The Fool" which was a number 1 single across Europe and South America in 1971, as well as his songs "On va s'aimer" (1983) and "Les Sunlights des tropiques" (1984). In France, he is still a popular album and concert artist, having toured and sung with Johnny Hallyday and Kool & the Gang.

In 2009, he participated in the television show Rendez-vous en terre inconnue in Zanskar. He was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1982, an Officer in the National Order of Merit in 2011 and an Officer in the Order of the Legion of Honour in 2020.

Montagné was active in politics within the Union for a Popular Movement under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. In the 2010 regional election, he ran as a candidate in Allier. Montagné is also noted for his activism for blind people. From ages 10 to 16, he was a student at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute of Blind Youth) in Paris. In 2022, Saint-Léon, the village his father was originally from and Montagné visited as a child, named a square after him.