Philippe Labro, Celebrated French Chronicler, Passes Away at 88

Philippe Labro, the prolific French journalist, novelist, filmmaker, and songwriter known for his poetic prose and insatiable curiosity, passed away on Monday in Paris at the age of 88.

His death occurred at the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital due to brain lymphoma, a diagnosis confirmed in April, according to his longtime assistant Anne Boy. Labro resided in Paris.

A tireless observer of his times with a notebook always in hand, Labro dedicated his life to capturing the spirit of his era. He was praised as a chronicler of both French and universal history, bridging cultures and epochs—from Algeria to America, and from literary figures like Herman Melville to French rock icon Johnny Hallyday.

Across 24 published works—including novels and essays—seven films, numerous song lyrics, and various television and radio programs, Labro explored the complexities of existence. Rejecting strict boundaries between fact and fiction, he believed truth resided in the interplay of both. He often referenced Einstein’s metaphor of life as a "dance to a mysterious tune played by an unseen piper," which served as his creative inspiration.

Labro also admired Victor Hugo’s sentiment that "nothing is more imminent than the impossible." His own breakthrough moment came in the United States on November 22, 1963, when, at age 27, he became the first French correspondent to report from Dallas immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.