“Very sad, He embodied the French spirit”

This Monday, May 6, 2024, Cécile Pivot, one of Bernard Pivot’s two daughters, announced the death of her father to AFP without specifying the cause. Died at the age of 89 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, the man of letters and television has since been praised by most of his successors.

Sophie Davant “very sad” : his vibrant tribute

Sophie Davant, who today swings between France 2 and Europe 1, dedicated an Instagram publication to the late Bernard Pivot. The one who shares her life with William Leymergie posted on her account a photo of the late presenter, journalist and author who died this Monday. And she did not fail to express her sorrow.

“Very sad about the disappearance of Bernard Pivot”she first wrote in the caption of the said photo before saluting the career and intelligence of the presenter of the now cult show Apostrophe. “He embodied the French spirit”, she added. Before revealing some of his personal memories: “My family gathered religiously in front of Apostrophe. I loved his gluttony for words, encounters, stories. I loved his liveliness, his curiosity, his open-mindedness, his playfulness!”. And for her to conclude: “Thank you sir! You are one of those who made me want to do this job!”

But other voices were also raised to criticize Bernard Pivot for his invitations to divisive and problematic personalities, such as the novelist Gabriel Matzneff accused of pedophilia.

Bernard Pivot, a very discreet man about his private life

A man of literature (he has published around twenty works) and of the media (we also owe him the show Culture broth), Bernard Pivot left his mark on his era, and not only that! The one who presented one of the most cult literary programs for fifteen years, Apostrophe, was indeed very active on X (formerly Twitter). Followed by nearly a million people, he never failed to make a joke about current events… or about himself! “The habit of radio stations calling me when a writer dies is so great that, the day I die, they will call me“, he wrote in 2016.

A great admirer of football, he was a fervent supporter of AS Saint-Étienne… Even though he was originally from Lyon! Retired from media life for several years already, the man who had been part of the Goncourt Academy for several years only spoke on social networks or in duplex on the radio. Very discreet about his private life and his state of health, he was hospitalized in 2022 for reasons still unknown today. He then mentioned his disability and an illness that had taken over his head… He leaves behind two daughters and his ex-wife, Monique Dupuis.