Italian-Belgian crooner Frank Michael, who sold 15 million love ballads, dies at 79

Announcement and a life of song

Frank Michael, born Franco Gabelli in Parma, Italy, in 1947, moved to Belgium as a toddler and built a decades-long career as a "chanteur de charme" (crooner) of love ballads. His daughter Sandra Gabelli confirmed his death on Facebook on 12 June 2026.

“My father has left.... I know how attached his audience was to him.”

A career built on love and kitsch

Starting in 1974 with "Je ne peux vivre sans toi", Michael found his first major success in 1976 with "Dites-lui que je l'aime". He went on to record over 350 songs across around 20 albums, often selling outside traditional media circuits. His music blended schlager rhythms and Italian romanticism, earning him a loyal following across Belgium, France, Switzerland and beyond.

“Everyone has sung about love, there's no embarrassment in that.”

"Toutes les femmes sont belles" and massive sales

The 1996 single "Toutes les femmes sont belles" became his signature song and was later covered in Dutch. Michael claimed total sales of between 15 and 20 million records, with nearly 60 gold discs, putting him among the top-selling Belgian artists worldwide.

Mocked but embraced

Despite being labelled "ringard" (old-fashioned) by the media, Michael never wavered. He pointed to peers like Julio Iglesias and Mike Brant, insisting his music spoke to multiple generations.

“Of course, there are elderly people at my shows, because they love this kind of song, these melodies that they no longer find in today’s music. But there are also young people. My audience is three generations: the grandmother, the mother and the child.”

Collaborations and an Elvis tribute

In 2003, he released "Entre nous", with songs written by Johnny Hallyday, Michel Mallory and Didier Barbelivien. The same year he recorded an album of Elvis Presley covers in Nashville with the King’s former musicians, a project born from lifelong admiration.