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<img src="http://medias.ados.fr/people/1/0/1081/Les-Rita-Mitsouko/photos/7161-les-rita-mitsouko.jpg" />
Frederic Chichin, the guitarist who founded the popular French pop group duo Rita Mitsouko, has died aged 53 of cancer, record label Because and concert organiser Corida said in a joint statement Wednesday.
Chichin, who formed the group in 1979 with his partner, singer Catherine Ringer, died after falling ill only two months ago. The group had had to cancel a string of recent concerts, including one on Wednesday evening at Paris' famed Olympia concert hall.
Rita Mitsouko's latest album "Variety" was released in April.
Ringer and Chichin, who in his teens was a fan of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, chose the name of the group on the grounds that "Rita" sounded South American and "Mitsouko" meant mystery in Japanese.
Their first hit, the 1984 tune "Marcia baila", was a latino-rock piece written to pay homage to Argentine dancer Marcia Moretto, who died of cancer. It sold more than a million copies.
Their 11 albums carried rock, funk, punk, ska and latino sounds, as well as a dose of humour.
All the best,
eighties