In the afternoon of Wednesday January 13, Emmanuel Macron receives, at the Elysée, the master bakers for the traditional galette des rois.
The tone is serious when, in his speech, he mentions “all professions” which “continue to suffer” because of the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has "a very particular thought for certain sectors which continue to be closed", citing "restaurateurs" and "all the professions of gastronomy", "cafetiers" and "hoteliers".
"We meet again today, whereas what I am describing, was illustrated this morning in an absolutely tragic way in the Vosges with a restaurateur who committed suicide", he is moved, having " a thought for Mr. Noël, his family and all his colleagues ”, whereas the reopening of these establishments had been envisaged for a time this January 20.
But who is this "Monsieur Noël", whose dramatic destiny has been invited to the height of power?
In our country, the cases of traders who ended their life in part because of the health crisis have been very exceptional for almost a year.
That of this man to whom the President of the Republic paid homage is the first to find himself thus "officially" in the dark topicality.
To have an identity and a face becoming public while for months, many experts have sounded the alarm, fearing a wave of suicides linked to the economic and psychological impact of Covid-19.
"It broke his heart"
This "Mr. Christmas" is Rudy.
He was 43 years old.
He was the father of three children, the youngest of whom is five years old.
To be precise, he is not a “restaurateur”, as the Head of State presents it, but a café owner.
And it was the day before the presidential address and not the same morning that the earthy boss of the Estaminet in the center of Vagney, a Vosges city of 4000 souls, not far from the ski resort of Bresse, came gave death.
Within his establishment.
Quite a symbol.
“His bar was his whole life.
It was a real bistro.
To be deprived of his passion, that necessarily touched him.
He loved being with people.
He always put his heart into what he undertook, so no longer being able to do it, it broke his heart ”, confides the deputy (UDI and Independents group) from the area, Christophe Naegelen, who knew him“ very well ”.
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"This act belongs to him, it is his choice, we must respect it, be in the acceptance, even if it is revolting, even if we are in an immense penalty.
I want to retain everything he has united around him, all these little seeds of sharing that he sowed and ensure that, tomorrow, all of this germinates again and springs up again ”, repeats, sobs in his voice, Eric Legros, director of the Mettey campsite in Vagney, who considered his “little Rudy” as his “brother”.
In the snowy valley, the sudden death of the extremely popular forty-something, known to be a "teaser" has caused a shock wave.
The entrance to the "troquet" he had managed for 17 years is awash with flowers and kind words.
This Monday, several hundred residents gathered in front of the town's church while the funeral was celebrated inside in the presence of family and closest friends.
Rudy was described as "hyperactive" and "messy" ./DR
The closure of his “roadstead” as he called it, first during the first confinement and then since the end of October does not, in itself, explain the gesture that no one saw coming.
As in any suicide, there are multiple reasons, in particular “personal problems”, which could push the manager “hyperactive” and “disconnector” to commit the irreparable.
"We are not in his head," recalls a colleague.
But what is clear is that the context of Covid-19 has "reinforced" an uneasiness invisible to the eyes of many customers.
“The straw that broke the camel's back”, sums up a friend.
"This must have accelerated his torments," says his cousin Jérôme Mathieu, departmental councilor (LR) of the canton of Bresse.
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“He just wanted to work.
Even if he understood the measures well, he did not experience the situation very well, like all his colleagues.
But he had weaknesses, so it was more complicated, ”says his sister Rachel, who retains from her brother“ everything he has done well in life ”.
“He gave so much happiness, opened his door to so many people,” she praises.
A temporary administrative closure
In November, following the closure of counters decreed by the government, he tried to bounce back by betting on “take out”.
First under an arbor called "flying camp" then in a chalet built in front of the bistro, next to an inflatable Santa Claus.
The cheerful merchant wearing a cap "I see life in the Vosges" sold, only on weekends, "beer in liters", mulled wine, popcorn and even offered a "cigarette repair" .
“He wasn't doing this for the turnover, but to be useful.
By not being able to open his harbor, he felt useless, ”says his“ buddy ”Eric Legros.
"Come many, but not all at the same time friends," Rudy laughed on his Facebook page.
He kept recalling that there was "a ban on consuming on the spot", also inviting his followers to travel masked.
But despite the instructions, it was difficult for him to prevent the gatherings of more than six people.
Result: he received a "plum".
"135 euros for my stand, that's it," he railed on the social network, suggesting "informers to sweep in front of their door".
He was also astonished that we could "go back to mass, but not to the bistro".
To "warm up" customers at the end of November, he had transformed a tree trunk into a brazier near the closed shutters of the Estaminet.
The snapshot had been uploaded.
"Leaving us closed, we will end up burning everything", then captioned the cafeteria.
In December, his establishment was the subject of an administrative closure for non-compliance with health rules decided by the prefecture.
From two months, the sanction had been reduced to 15 days following a request for a free appeal, after having pleaded his case to the prefect.
The measure was no longer in effect when he ended his life.
"But it had affected him," said a relative.
The social link more important than financial aid
According to several witnesses interviewed, Rudy, who employed three employees, was not "economically in the red" because of the Covid-19, benefiting from state aid.
“But financial aid doesn't solve everything.
Bistros do business, but above all social ties.
However, this health crisis isolates ”, warns cousin Jérôme Mathieu.
“What frustrated him was going around in circles, no longer being able to occupy his days, no longer seeing his clients, this feeling of being lazy.
His social life stopped.
He was in pain but we were trying to comfort him.
He would have been offered:
You take 50,000 euros, but you close the bar or you open it, but work for free
, he would have chosen the second option ”, imagines the shoemaker Alexandre Géhin, president of the Union of traders and artisans of Vagney, who has lost "a very good friend".
“He was always full of projects.
He did not show everyone that he could be tormented, it was rather he who usually boosted people's morale, ”emphasizes Jérôme Mathieu.
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If the disappearance of the bistro aroused such emotion in the Vosges, it is also because he had quite a personality.
A happy luron image.
“We didn't say:
We're going to the Estaminet,
but
we're going to Rudy's
.
He was an original, a pretty madman, with a great sensitivity, ”applauds his friend Eric Legros.
He was known (and loved) for his excesses, able, on a whim, to swap his long hair for a ball at zero.
Or to "go around the roundabout naked" after a coronation of the Blues at the Football World Cup, thus respecting a promise of pre-competition.
"When he made a bet, he would go all the way," he recalls.
"Ah, that was a Rudy figure!"
A little provocative, but deeply kind and generous, idealistic, always fully and ready to lend a hand, ”describes Jérôme Mathieu.
In his "harbor" or in the village hall, the master of ceremonies orchestrated concerts, for example welcoming Claudio Capéo long before the latter released a hit.
Every Sunday afternoon under a marquee, music and barbecue also went very well.
“Even if the repertoire was a bit offbeat for the third age,” smiles Jérôme Mathieu.
"He put the local artists in value", greets the young singer from the Vosges Clem'Z who had "opened the ball" during the celebration of the 17 years of the Estaminet on October 17 at 5 pm.
“He had fought so that it could hold,” she recalls.
“He was great and modest.
He had created a character for himself, with a little crazy side.
People like him, we will not be able to have two, ”she regrets.
Passionate about music and disappointed macronist
Rudy also excelled in animation, very comfortable to take on the role of Mr. Loyal with his purple tie, for example on the occasion of the Fair in the little pigs in the surroundings.
“He had an incredible zest for life, but maybe it was a mask,” asks a friend.
With his sometimes clownish look, his funny hats and his chat, this retired son of innkeepers did not go unnoticed.
And it was known, far beyond the valley.
Almost a year ago, Antoine de Caunes had made a stop at the Estaminet to shoot a sequence of his program on Canal + "La Gaule d'Antoine".
Without being an activist or a member of En Marche, Rudy was also found, in 2017, in the clip between two turns of candidate Macron during the presidential campaign.
“He had voted for him, but since then he was a disappointed macronist who did not hesitate to let it be known.
So the president's national tribute is a little wink that must make him laugh from up there, ”reveals a relative.
On the Facebook page "Rudy l'Estaminet Vagney" subtitled "The show must go on", several hundred messages of condolence and memories have been posted over the past week.
“May the music continue to rock you Rudy,” Chris wishes.
“You were in the party again and again and lived your passion for music and your profession to the full.
It was perhaps this same job, blocked for so many months for health reasons, that took you to another world?
»Asks Franck.
"Thank you all for your messages, they are heartwarming", wrote Nathalie, the wife of the deceased, promising "a tribute to the height of what he deserves" which will be organized "as soon as conditions allow" .
Good evening, and thank you all for your messages.
They are heartwarming.
I just wanted to let you know, like the ...
Posted by Rudy L'Estaminet Vagney on Thursday, January 14, 2021