Michel Petrucciani had osteogenesis imperfecta — brittle bone disease — and never grew past a metre: he had to be carried to the piano. Flamingo, recorded with Stéphane Grappelli, passed a hundred thousand copies: one of the very few gold records in jazz. He lies a few metres from Chopin, under a stone engraved “composer, jazz pianist”.
The story
Michel Petrucciani was born on 28 December 1962 at Orange, to an Italian father and an English mother. He had osteogenesis imperfecta — brittle bone disease — and would never grow past a metre. “I was shut up at home, my parents were so afraid to let me out,” he said. One of his earliest memories is a Count Basie concert at the Roman theatre in Orange, where the American pianist set his own cap on the boy's head.
His parents opened a music shop in Montélimar; he tuned guitars there and gave organ demonstrations. In 1980 he recorded his first album, “Flash”, at Apt, and met the producer Jean-Jacques Pussiau. Already the piano pedals had to be adapted to his size, as they would be in every hall he ever played.
In 1981 he left for California and settled at Big Sur, in a therapeutic institute that housed and fed him in exchange for his playing. A memorable jam with the saxophonist Charles Lloyd launched his American career: Lloyd came out of retirement to tour with him. His first American record, “100 Hearts”, appeared in 1984; he moved to New York in 1985 and signed with Blue Note, the great American jazz label, for “Pianism”.
Franck Cassenti devoted a documentary to him in 1983, “Lettre à Michel Petrucciani”, shown at Cannes. In June 1995 he recorded “Flamingo” with Stéphane Grappelli; it came out the following year and passed a hundred thousand copies in France: one of the very few gold records in jazz. He built his instantly recognisable rhythmic power against a constant pain the audience never suspected.
He died in New York in the night of 5 to 6 January 1999, at thirty-six, of a lung infection. His body was brought back to France and buried in Division 11, a few metres from Frédéric Chopin — a neighbour he had asked for.
The grave
He lies under a plain stone, on the chemin Denon, in the front row of Division 11. The inscription fits on one line — “Michel Petrucciani, composer, jazz pianist, 28 Dec. 1962 – 6 Jan. 1999” — and the profession comes before the dates, which is like him. Isabelle Mars, born in 1967, rests with him. A few metres away begins the permanent gathering in front of Chopin's grave, and visitors pass from one to the other without knowing that Petrucciani had asked to lie here.
On site, do not miss
Look for the stone on the chemin Denon, where “composer, jazz pianist” is engraved beneath his name, then look at what musicians leave there: sheet music, plectrums.
Visitors' questions
Where is Michel Petrucciani's grave?
In Division 11, Chemin Denon, first row — Chopin's own division, a few metres away. It was the pianist himself who wished for this closeness; the grave is easy to find starting from the composer's.
Marcel MouloudjiWhy is he buried near Chopin?
It was Michel Petrucciani's wish: he held a particular admiration for the composer, whose music he had played since childhood. His body, repatriated from New York in January 1999, was buried in Division 11, a few metres from Chopin.
Pierre-Jean de BérangerWhat did Michel Petrucciani die of?
He died of a lung infection, on the night of 5 to 6 January 1999 in New York, at thirty-six, at the end of nearly twenty years of a career carried on against constant pain. His body was repatriated to France and buried in Division 11.
Mano SoloWhat illness did Michel Petrucciani have?
Osteogenesis imperfecta, the rare bone disease known as brittle bone disease: he never grew past a metre, and had to be carried to the piano. He nonetheless played with the greatest names in jazz, from Charles Lloyd to Stéphane Grappelli.
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