He was for 18 years the indescribable Roland Marci in the series “Plus belle la vie”. Michel Cordes died at the age of 77, shot dead at his home.
This is sad news that comes to us from our colleagues at Midi Libre. This Friday evening, May 5, the regional media announced the tragic death of Michel Cordes, actor known for having lent his features to the essential character of Roland Marci, owner of the bar Le Mistral, in the cult series “Plus belle la vie ”.
Michel Cordes was found dead by firearm in his house in Grabels, in the Hérault, in the afternoon around 3 p.m. An investigation was launched by the gendarmes of the Castelnau-le-Lez company to determine the causes of his death.
For its part, Le Parisien argues that a suicide note was found near his body. There would be no traces of a blow, nor of violence or burglary noted on the spot. The investigation will then have to confirm the trail of suicide.
Shortly before the end of the series, in 2022, many fans were moved by the fictional death of the character played by Michel Cordes. The interested party had not hidden his emotion concerning the end of the series after 18 years and 4500 episodes: “I am no longer very young. I wanted to rest. Let’s say it doesn’t matter personally. But it’s a bit of a shame. Lots of fans don’t want it to stop. I didn’t think that France Télévisions would stop it like that, brutally. I had imagined that I would distance myself, not that the soap opera would stop” , he confided to the Parisian.
The actor had settled in this town on the outskirts of Montpellier two years ago. He wanted to concentrate on sculpture and remained open to projects in the theatre.
Inevitably, the brutal announcement of his death generated an anthology of poignant tributes from his former partners of “Plus belle la vie” like Pierre Martot, alias Léo Castelli in the series, who considered him as “a father, a grandfather, a friend, a brother” : “You were the living embodiment of something very deep in this country – that’s why people loved you so much. We don’t not going to lie, actors who have your authenticity in life, it does not run the streets. I would never have imagined that you would leave so quickly! I liked being with you, Michel.