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Régine Zylberberg

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Régine Zylberberg
Zylberberg at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Rachelle Zylberberg[1]

(1929-12-26)26 December 1929
Anderlecht, Belgium
Died1 May 2022(2022-05-01) (aged 92)
17th arrondissement of Paris, France
Other namesRégine
Occupations
  • Nightclub impresario
  • Singer
Years active1956–2016
Spouses
Leon Rothcage
​
(m. 1947)​
Roger Choukroun
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 2004)​
Children1

Régine Zylberberg (born Rachelle Zylberberg; 26 December 1929 – 1 May 2022), often known mononymously as Régine, was a Belgian-born French singer and nightclub impresario.[2][3] She dubbed herself the "Queen of the Night".[2]

Early life

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Rachelle Zylberberg was born in Anderlecht,[4] Belgium, to Polish Jewish parents, Joseph Zylberberg and Tauba Rodstein.[5][6] She spent much of her early life in hiding from the Nazis in occupied wartime France. Abandoned in infancy by her unwed mother who moved to Argentina, she was 12 when her father was arrested by the Nazis. She hid in a convent, where she was reportedly beaten. After the war, she sold bras in the streets of Paris. Her father, Joseph, managed to survive the war. He opened a cafe in Paris's Belleville neighborhood.[citation needed]

Zylberberg had one son, Lionel, from her first husband Leon Rothcage, whom she married when she was 17.[7]

Career

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Known as Régine, she became a torch singer; by 1953, she was a nightclub manager in Paris. She is attributed with the invention of the modern-day discothèque,[8] by virtue of creating a new dynamic atmosphere at Paris' Whisky à Gogo, with the ubiquitous jukebox replaced by disc jockeys utilizing linked turntables.[9][5] Zylberberg's Paris Whisky à Gogo became the inspiration for the later establishment of the Whisky a Go Go nightclub in Los Angeles.[9][failed verification]

In 1958, she opened Chez Régine in the Latin Quarter of Paris, which became the place to be seen for visiting celebrities, socialites and royalty.[10]

As Zylberberg's celebrity expanded she established nightclubs under her name in major cities such as New York, London and Monte Carlo. These were ultra-selective venues in prime urban locations, all featuring her signature "disco-style" layout.

In 1974, she established Jimmy'z, a nightclub in Monaco.[11][12][13][failed verification]

In 1975, Zylberberg was accompanied by her husband, Roger Choukroun, to New York.[14] They split their time living between Paris and a penthouse suite at the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue and 59th Street in New York.[15] In 1976, she opened Regine's nightclub on the ground floor of the hotel.[16] The nightclub served food under the direction of French chef Michel Guérard.[7] The following year, she opened a bistro alongside the nightclub called Cafe Reginette.[17][18]

In the 1970s, Zylberberg also designed a line of "Ready-to-Dance" evening clothes that were proof against wrinkling and so could be packed, which were sold at Bloomingdale's.[7]

In 1988, she was in charge of the Ledoyen Restaurant on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.[19]

On 22 April 1996, Zylberberg and her son were arrested for refusing to comply with crew requests and smoking on an American Airlines flight. It was alleged that, though she was traveling economy, Régine had demanded a first-class upgrade, which the airline declined.[10][20]

In June 2011, she appeared as Solange in Follies at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

She lived with her husband in Saint-Tropez.

Death

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Zylberberg died on 1 May 2022, according to her granddaughter.[21][6][22]

References

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  1. ^ [1]Birth and death certificate. Accessed 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Regine, disco pioneer and nightclub queen, dies at 92". France 24. AFP. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Regine, disco pioneer and nightclub queen, dies at 92". RFI. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ^ Biography in Context (2011) Gale, Detroit
  5. ^ a b Schofield, Hugh (24 October 2005). "No holding back French disco diva". News channel. BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  6. ^ a b McFadden, Robert D. (1 May 2022). "Régine, Whose Discotheque Gave Nightlife a New Dawn, Dies at 92". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Christy, Marian (2 May 1976). "Regine—Queen of the Discos". Oakland Tribune.
  8. ^ Guyot, Jean-Francois; Moussaoui, Rana; Hecker, Jurgen. "Regine, legendary French-Jewish singer who 'invented the discotheque,' dies at 92". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  9. ^ a b Rock and Roll is a State of Mind:
  10. ^ a b Grigoriadis, Vanessa (19 April 1999). "Regine's Last Stand". New York Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  11. ^ Tanti, Cassandra (31 December 2017). "Jimmy'z moves to Monte-Carlo Casino for New Year's Eve". Monaco Life. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. ^ pacificav (8 December 2017). "SUPERSTAR SOUND FOR JIMMY*Z IN MONTE-CARLO". Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  13. ^ Jimmy'z: Informations pratiques
  14. ^ "Hotel to Become Apartment House". The New York Times. 17 August 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  15. ^ Klemesrud, Judy (16 November 1975). "Queen of French Nightclubs Hopes to Reign Here". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  16. ^ Haber, Deborah (15 March 1976). "Regine: She'll Take Manhattan". New York Magazine: 64.
  17. ^ "Restaurants". The New York Times. 13 January 1978. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  18. ^ Ferretti, Fred (30 December 1977). "Where to Blow the Horns at Midnight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Régine : "I want to bring some life into the real estate business!", interview by Jean-Pierre Thiollet, International Amiic Tribune, March 1989.
  20. ^ Mattheiem, Nathalie (22 April 1996). "Une cigarette allumée avait dérouté le Vol Paris-Miami". Le Soir (in French). Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  21. ^ Benjebria, Laurine (1 May 2022). "Régine, chanteuse populaire et reine de la nuit, est morte à l'âge de 92 ans" (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  22. ^ Haring, Bruce (1 May 2022). "Regine Dies: Discotheque Entrepreneur, Singer And Actress Was 92". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
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