Political journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach died on Tuesday October 3, 2023 at the age of 86. Although the causes of his death have not been revealed, he had suffered from several health problems in recent years.
He is a figure of political journalism who has left us. Jean-Pierre Elkabbach died this Tuesday, October 3, 2023, we learned in the evening by Paris Match. He was 86 years old. Although the causes of his death have not been confirmed, this great media man had recently experienced health problems.
While Actu recalled at the start of the year that the journalist had a sarcoma removed three years ago, BFMTV reported that he had undergone surgery this summer. Since then, those around him told the 24-hour news channel, his health has continued to deteriorate.
Born on September 29, 1937 in Oran, Algeria, this great media man left his mark on the history of French radio and television. Haïm Jean-Pierre ElKabbach, his full name, made his debut in the 1960s on RTF radio in Oran. He then continued his career in the largest French newsrooms, including France Inter, Europe 1 and Antenne 2. As a political journalist, he interviewed, for almost half a century, numerous political figures and a good number of heads of state.
Recently, after being ousted from Europe 1 in 2016, he made his comeback on CNews in September 2019 with his show called “Sans detours”, broadcast on Sundays at 7 p.m. In 2021, following the takeover of Europe 1 by the Bolloré group, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach returned to the radio to host the major weekend morning interviews. The journalist finally retired in the summer of 2022, wishing in particular to devote himself to his memoirs.
A famous phrase, “shut up Elkabbach”, is now associated with the political journalist who died on October 3, 2023. While many people associate it with a 180 interview on the Antenne 2 channel, with the secretary general of the PCF Georges Marchais, it had, in reality, been imagined by the comedian Thierry Le Luron who then caricatured this interview. This formula was then used by Elkabbach himself for the title of one of his books, released in 1992.
However, Marchais and Elkabbach have already exchanged arms, notably during the legislative elections in 1978 on Europe 1: “Listen to Elkabbach! I think it’s a sufficiently serious evening… If you think that my place is not desirable since the right has won, I’m giving way to the right and going elsewhere. They ask me elsewhere, I can go there. Because it’s extremely unpleasant to discuss with you” The son of the former secretary general, Olivier Marchais, however, assured that they “liked each other a lot. They were perhaps the two best enemies. There was a lot of respect between them.”
After the announcement of the death of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, several personalities reacted on social networks and in the media to pay tribute to the great journalist. President Emmanuel Macron hailed this Wednesday a “sacred monster of French journalism” and put it into perspective, occurring “on the eve of the 65th anniversary of our Fifth Republic, he who was always there, on each of its major dates, on our screens or on our airwaves, to recount the rich moments and question the actors”.
For his part, François Hollande estimated that “a page in our political and media history is turning.” The former President of the Republic praised “a pugnacity that no interlocutor could exhaust”. For his part, the current Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire tended to pay tribute to “an outstanding observer of our national political life”.
Nicolas Sarkozy had these words on X (formerly Twitter): “I’m thinking this evening of those who, like me, loved and admired him.” Éric Ciotti hailed “a great journalist of character whom politicians feared because he was so intellectually solid”. The communist Fabien Roussel took the opportunity to recall “his legendary exchanges with Georges Marchais”, also claiming to have “appreciated, in [his] turn, his always respectful interviews”.
For her part, Rachi Dati was moved to have done her first interview with him. “As much a test as a consecration,” she underlined. And the mayor of the 7th arrondissement paid tribute to “a great radio voice who will be missed. I send all my condolences to his family”.
