Free tickets for ceremony honouring late Quebec singer Serge Fiori available Monday

Fans and admirers of the late Quebec singer and Harmonium frontman Serge Fiori will be able to pay their final respects at a national tribute ceremony taking place at Montreal's Place des Arts on July 15. 

Tickets for members of the general public will be available on the Place des Arts website at 3 p.m. on Monday.

Fiori died June 24 at his home in Saint-Henri-de-Taillon, Que., following a long illness. He was 73. 

His death prompted an outpouring of grief in the province, with Quebec Premier François Legault announcing a national funeral.

The premier's office said the ceremony will allow the public "the opportunity to pay a final tribute to an artist and creator who profoundly marked Quebec culture and contributed to shaping our musical landscape."

While tickets are free, reservations are required.

Organizers warned that people acquiring tickets elsewhere than directly through the link to the Place des Arts ticket office would be identified and refused access to the ceremony.

In November 2023, tickets for a memorial honouring Karl Tremblay of Les Cowboys Fringants sold out within minutes, with some resale sites listing tickets for several hundred dollars.

The premier's office said organizers had deployed all the technological means possible "to prevent the free tickets from being sold and becoming a source of profit."

Born in 1952 in Montreal, Fiori founded the group Harmonium in the early 1970s with Michel Normandeau on guitar and vocals and Louis Valois on bass.

The legendary group revolutionized Quebec music with three folk rock albums Harmonium, Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison and L'heptade.

They were one of the few Quebec bands of the 1970s to achieve some success in the United States, despite their French lyrics.

An online book of condolences is also available for people wishing to send a message to Fiori's family.