French icon Johnny Hallyday dies

Paris

FRENCH music icon Johnny Hallyday died on Wednesday aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer, plunging the country into mourning for a national treasure whose rock 'n' roll entertained three generations.

The leather-clad star broke from France's classic chanson tradition in the late 1950s, emerging as a figure who embodied the rebellious spirit of the gloomy post-war era.