PARIS: French music icon Johnny Hallyday died yesterday aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer, plunging the country into mourning for a national treasure whose rock ‘n’ roll entertained three generations, reports AFP.

The leather-clad star broke from France’s classic “chanson” tradition in the late 1950s, emerging as a figure who embodied the rebellious spirit of the gloomy post-war era.

While Americans were going wild for Elvis or Jimi Hendrix and Britain was gripped by Beatle-mania, France turned to the Paris-born crooner who borrowed liberally from his English-speaking peers and never won international acclaim.

But he was adored at home, selling 110 million albums, and his death on Wednesday devastated his fans and sparked an outpouring of grief from fellow artists and politicians.