We saw him again only three weeks ago at Laeticia Hallyday, in Los Angeles.
We had found him a little tired, his face paler than usual, his voice blank.
With his legendary discretion and elegance, Robin Le Mesurier was secretly fighting cancer, but he wanted to be present that day with his wife, to remember his "brother" Johnny, on the occasion of the release of 'a documentary about their American tour in 2014. When he left us with a hug, we never expected to learn of his passing so soon after, at the age of 68.
It was his musician friends who shared the terrible news this Wednesday evening on their social networks, his accomplices in Johnny's group: drummer Geoff Dugmore, harmonica player Greg Zlap, but also Julian Lennon, John's son.
Because Robin Le Mesurier may have been born in London, he had emigrated to the United States a long time ago.
First in New York then in Los Angeles, where he lived for a long time near Johnny, whom he accompanied from 1994 to 2017. He had moved there shortly before starting to play with Ron Wood, on his solo album "1234", then with Rod Stewart, with whom he remained from 1980 to 1986, on stage and in the studio on four albums, including the very popular "Body Wishes" and "Camouflage".
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His meeting with Johnny dates back to the album "Rough Town", in 1994. Robin Le Mesurier had seen two of his compositions, two blues, taken by "le Taulier". “The first time I met Johnny, in Los Angeles, it's as if we had always known each other, the guitarist told us on November 30. And we never left each other. In 23 years of collaboration, we have never had a single disagreement. Our relationship has lasted much longer than many couples. He was an extraordinary man. "
This is also what Johnny thought of Robin. The teams around him often changed, but his guitarist always stayed. From the 90s to the bottom of the wave to the rebirth, from the Stade de France to La Madeleine, to pay homage to his late friend with his musicians. Robin Le Mesurier liked to tell this anecdote, which spoke volumes about their fraternal bond. “Johnny was once suggested to replace me but he replied:
No, Robin, it's my blood
. The false-tunes guitarist Keith Richards missed Johnny so much that he wrote a book, "My 1000 Gigs with Johnny," two years ago. During our last meeting, Laeticia Hallyday presented Robin Le Mesurier to us as "a member of the family". And the big Hallyday family, this evening, is in mourning.