Marc Lavoine turns 64, shares modest childhood and aristocratic lineage

French singer and actor Marc Lavoine celebrated his 64th birthday on 6 August. Born on 6 August 1962 in Longjumeau, he grew up in the Paris suburbs of Wissous and Chilly‑Mazarin. His father, Lucien Lavoine, worked for the postal service, was a communist activist and played jazz trumpet; his mother, Micheline Collin, was a secretary who loved music. Lavoine described a childhood of poverty, recalling that the family often ate only pasta and that his mother raised him “like a girl,” dressing him in girls’ clothing and calling him “mademoiselle."

In recent interviews, his former wife Sarah Poniatowski revealed that she comes from the historic Poniatowski family, which includes Stanislas Auguste Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. She said she has retained a taste for timeless refinement from her aristocratic roots. Lavoine, now in a relationship with former model Adriana Karembeu, reflected on his long career that spans more than four decades of music, film and recent symphonic reinterpretations of his hits.