Black Notebook: “Queen of the Night” Regin dies at 92

Black Notebook: “Queen of the Night” Regin dies at 92

Essential
Regin knows how to mobilize “celebrities” for key reasons such as the fight against drugs and starting an association called “SOS Troke International”.

The longtime queen of Parisian nights, the businessman, Regin, died on Sunday at the age of 92, popularly known for songs such as “La Grande Zova”, “Assuro”, “Les Pitts Papiers” or “Patsouli Chinchilla”. .

Charles Aznavoor, Barbara, Henry Salvador or Franசois Sagan have all signed hit songs for this war veteran with mesmerizing and slightly hoarse voice, practical, depressing and humorous personality.

He has also appeared in a dozen films, including Alain Joshua’s “Jeu de massacres”, Claude Lelouch’s “Robert et Robert” or Claude Zidi’s “Les ripoux”.

Regina Zylbergerg was born on December 26, 1929 in Anderlecht (Belgium) to Polish Jewish parents. In Ix-en-Provence, in 1941, he escaped deportation by non-Jewish French, to whom he owes eternal gratitude.

Animation of the discotheque

After his release, the family moved to Paris, where his father opened a bar in Belleville. Her daughter loves touring clubs in the capital.

A friend hands her the animation of a nightclub in the center of Paris, where she meets the opening player, Serge Gainsburg, at the Rue de Peugeot, “Le Whiskey a Coco”. The young lady knows how to set the mood and sometimes dances with a full glass over her head, but is proud that she never drinks alcohol.

In 1956, he opened his first nightclub, “Chess Regine” in the Latin Quarter. You will follow the opening at the Montburnas of the club “New Jimmy” where you will dance the wild twists. This tireless party girl promises that “the time spent sleeping will be wasted”.

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Nicknamed the “Great Sowa”, it opened nightclubs in New York and Monaco, and later in Brazil and Malaysia. Regin, then wearing her boa-like red mallet, manages a total of twenty discotheques. Andy Warhol, Lisa Minelli, Rothschilds or Kennedy often visit its clubs.

The girl with the boa

He invented the music industry in the 1960s. After passing Olympia, she sang at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1969, especially with Edith Piaf – one of the rare French women to conquer the United States.

In Paris, he will go on stage at Bobino or La Sigel.

At the same time, she married her second husband, businessman Roger Chaugron, in 1969, and he continued in the business. In particular, he had the idea of ​​creating a membership card to make it easier for his clients to travel from club to club around the world. Up to 20,000 people in the 1980s would have kept this card very expensive.

The couple invests in hotels, restaurants, clothing, perfumes, and luxury travel financing.

Regin knows how to mobilize “celebrities” for important reasons, such as starting the association “SOS Troke International” in the fight against drugs.

In 2008, his “friend”, President Nicolas Sarkozy, accompanied him on a trip to Israel, promoting him to the rank of Legion of Honor Officer.

Paradoxically, the famous club “Palace”, which he owned for four years, was closed after the drug was discovered in a search in 1996. In 2004, he split from most of his clubs. And divorce the husband.

Two years later, he lost his only son, journalist Lionel Rodge, who was born out of his first marriage.

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“I’m an exhibitor. But I’m not always happy with dignity,” he says, not spreading his pain in the public square.

In 2009, he had to sell his “Chess Regine” discotheque at the Rue de Pontius, a long-standing meeting place for young Parisians near the Champs-Elysees. She says she spends a fortune every day and then says she’s “ruined.”

This does not prevent the proliferation of talk shows and concerts. Wrapped in his famous boa at the age of 86, he sang at the Follies-Berkers in 2016 with the usual cheer of Gloria Keiner’s success card, “I Will Survive.”

By Greg Vega

"Proud explorer. Freelance social media expert. Problem solver. Gamer. Extreme travel aficionado."