Hugues aufray, 96, Continues to Tour to ”Eat and Live” After Decades of Financial Exploitation
PARIS – At 96 years old, French singer Hugues Aufray is actively touring not for leisure, but out of financial necessity, revealing a history of being defrauded throughout his 80-year career. Despite selling millions of records and performing across France, Aufray has found himself ruined, a situation he attributes to misplaced trust in individuals he now describes as “crooks.”
Aufray detailed his financial struggles in a recent interview, stating plainly, “I continue to go on stage to travel but also to eat. To live, in the first sense of the word.” He recounted instances of having original compositions, like “I hear the train whistle,” given to other artists, such as Richard Anthony, after entrusting them to a publisher who exploited his early naiveté in bringing American songs to a French audience.
Beyond the exploitation of his work, Aufray also made the decision to financially support his daughters, Marie and Charlotte, and subsequently his grandchildren, leading to the sale of his home in Marnes-la-Coquette. “I sold my house… It was too big, and my children were penniless when they left here and there,” he explained, adding that the move was intended to prevent any future inheritance disputes. He currently resides in Marly-le-Roi, in a home lent to him by the town-the former residence of sculptor Aristide Maillol.
Despite his financial hardships, Aufray remains optimistic, currently working on four final records, an autobiography planned for release next year, and continuing his artistic pursuits in sculpture and painting, with hopes of a cinematic adaptation of a future book. He views his bankruptcies as “an chance,” philosophically considering money “hazardous” and expressing no regrets for his past trust.
Supported by his wife, Murielle, who has managed his affairs for the past thirty years, Aufray continues to embrace life and his career. Murielle emphasized thier deep connection, stating, “We understand each other without having to talk. And then, we do everything together.”
