Today marks exactly 30 years, since this bone chilling performance was given. The "Grand Maître" Franco on his last legs. When I first heard this, it felt so painful! The sound of the guitar solo just didn't sound like Franco. The illness made the Sorcerer of the guitar, lose his magic but not his strength to give a subtle performance! He tried and tried but he was too weak but still motivated to stand up and have one more go at doing his solo. Even though it wasn't the greatest show ever, to me, it was a good way to close the curtains and say goodbye!
Alongside that we're almost close to 30 years since Franco's death. May the legend rest in peace!



Franco's final goodbye also reminds me of the song "These Are The Days Of My Life" by Queen. In which the video contains a very pale and sick Freddy Mercury as he was slowly suffering the symptoms of HIV but he was giving it his all one last time before dying in 1991.

I get emotional sometimes listening to Franco's final concert. I get so mad that he chose the song Chacun Pour Soi. Someone should have told him to do another song like Mario. Mario would have been less bad because he was not doing great. But I know Franco tried to play his best. He almost had it which makes it even worse. But Franco will remain a big legend to me.

I get emotional sometimes listening to Franco's final concert. I get so mad that he chose the song Chacun Pour Soi. Someone should have told him to do another song like Mario. Mario would have been less bad because he was not doing great. But I know Franco tried to play his best. He almost had it which makes it even worse. But Franco will remain a big legend to me.

I totally get you on the song choice point! In my opinion, I'd say that it was a good idea to choose "Chacun Pour Soi" because, for me even though "Mario" is Franco's biggest hit, the most iconic moments of his career was when he performed the "Chacun Pour Soi" solo with energy, for example at Tele Zaïre in 1986. And of course, Franco will go down as one of the GOATs
Legendary! Heres to 30 years!

The Gentleman introducing him also died that same year, not sure the cause

The Gentleman introducing him also died that same year, not sure the cause

Do you know what's really weird? After Franco's death, many of the members kept dying, one after the other and after the other and after the other!

Are they dead because of AIDS?

The late 80's and early 90's was a bad era for HIV/AIDS related deaths, it wiped out a whole generation of young talented people and left a stigma that still persists to this day.

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Franco even made a song about AIDS/SIDA two years before his own death

What surprises me even more is how many people stayed alive. Hearing about HIV infection rates in Congo and Africa, it is kind of unbelieveable that so many musicians did not die.

@bencuri

Either the musicians of today are using condoms more often or are being a lot more careful about who they sleep with. Just because a woman is beautiful, doesn't mean she's healthy.

May be Franco knew and something kept telling him that you may not do this again. He must have been emotional inside. I feel for members of the band, they must have been sad.

The Gentleman introducing him also died that same year, not sure the cause
[/quote Isaac Musekiwa was the guy doing the introductions. He was a Zimbabwean who had moved to Zaire and ended up joining TPOK Jazz. He was a saxophone player.

I don't believe Franco died of AIDS.

They blame AIDS/HIV for a lot of people's death because it was "trendy and easy" back then...

@Paysan Congolais

I can't imagine him dying from anything else; it was the 80s, he was a well known womanizer, and his sudden change to physical appearance in a short-time is consistent of AIDS related deaths.

@Paysan Congolais

I can't imagine him dying from anything else; it was the 80s, he was a well known womanizer, and his sudden change to physical appearance in a short-time is consistent of AIDS related deaths.

Congolese have been speculating for years that his death was a result of him dibbing and dabbling in witchcraft and sorcery. There’s even a rumor that his title Grand Maître was bigger than just music (I won’t get into the basis of those rumors, it’s quite egregious). Did Franco or his family publicly acknowledge that it was indeed AIDS? I have also heard that playing with nkisi shortens your life.  All I’m saying is, the AIDS claim has been met with skepticism and him dying of something else doesn’t seem far fetched.

His pire petit said 6 years ago that he died of AIDS, saying that it was because of his Hatitian sidechick who died earlier than him. In Congo if someone died of AIDS, the family will never admit that because they see it as a big disgrace and if they will admit then they will never say "he died of Aids", they will rather say "he died of it".



from 28:15 min (saying on the way I explained).

Often if people known that a man or woman died of AIDS then their sidechicks or lovers will deny that they had relationship with him or her. A good examples are when Michel Lady Luya died. Marianna and Marlene Kasanga all denied that they had a relationship with him because of the shame while when he was in life they proudly talking about it behind the scene, getting alot of gifts and a fierce war starting against his official. Or when Sony Ecco Homo died, singer-dancer Lola Kadogo decided to commit suicide, because she was afraid to be mocked because of that. Back in the past, people who were about to die with AIDS had often the habit to make a list with the people they had sexual relationships, so that those people wouldn't deny. It was killing their reputations and some didn't even attract the virus but because of being on list they would have a hard time in their quarter.