Serge Gainsbourg.

Serge Gainsbourg was born Lucien Ginsburg on 2 April 1928 in Paris, France, to Ukrainian Jewish parents Joseph Ginsburg and Olia Bessman, who had fled the 1917 Russian Revolution. He grew up with a twin sister Liliane and an older sister Jaqueline; an elder brother Marcel died young. Gainsbourg attended Lycée Condorcet and later studied at the École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot, where he began his musical training.

Gainsbourg broke through in 1965 writing Poupée de cire, poupée de son for his god-daughter France Gall. The song won the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1969 he recorded Je t’aime…moi non plus with Brigitte Bardot. She asked him not to release it. The version with then-lover Jane Birkin became his biggest international hit. He composed for films, winning the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film, and also acted in films like Equator 1983 and Charlotte for Ever 1986. His controversial television appearances in the 1980s, often unshaven and drunk, reinforced his provocative public image.

Gainsbourg married Lise Levitzky on 3 November 1951; they divorced on 9 October 1957. He then married Françoise Pancrazzi on 7 January 1964, divorcing on 20 October 1966. With Pancrazzi, he had two children: Natacha born 1964 and Paul born 1968. He later had a relationship with Jane Birkin, with whom he had daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg born 1971 and a son named Lucien Lulu. Another child, Lulu Gainsbourg, is documented as his son. His funeral in 1991 was attended by celebrities like Catherine Deneuve, Johnny Hallyday, Françoise Hardy, and Isabelle Adjani.

Serge Gainsbourg’s song Je t’aime…moi non plus remains a landmark of erotic pop. His home on rue de Verneuil is covered in graffiti and poems from fans. Posthumously, he received a Victory of Honor award. He is buried in Montparnasse cemetery. Gainsbourg is remembered for his daring, often scandalous approach to songwriting.