France bids adieu to its 'Elvis Presley'

Known as the 'The French Elvis Presley', Johnny Hallyday made a name for himself with French versions of American rock and pop songs, including 'House of the Rising Sun', which many French people only know as 'Le Penitencier'.

Hallyday was a household name in France. where he had tens of millions of fans. He sold more records than any other singer in France in a career that spanned five decades.

The memorial service was attended by many French stars and politicians. More than 1,500 policemen cordoned off central Paris in one of the biggest funerary ceremonies since the death of singer Edith Piaf in 1963.

President Emmanuel Macron was also set to give a eulogy at the La Madeleine church in a ceremony attended by his predecessors Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy as well as several government ministers and French pop culture stars.

Hallyday sold more than 100 million albums, mostly in the French-speaking world, and drew huge crowds at his performances. More than 750,000 people attended his free concert near the Eiffel Tower on France's Bastille Day national holiday in 2009.

In 1997, French President Jacques Chirac presented Hallyday with the Legion of Honor.

During the memorial, Hallyday's band played instrumental versions of some of his biggest hits.

Hallyday will be buried on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy, where he owned a villa.

Hallyday's hearse drove the length of the famous Champs Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, in a rare honour usually reserved for foreign statesmen on July 14 National Day.

Hallyday's death on November 6 sparked days of national mourning, with broadcasters providing wall-to-wall coverage on his life and reams of black-and-white film and song tapes tracing the history of a man regarded by many as part of France's heritage.

A convoy of 700 Harley Davidson motorcycles escorted Johnny Hallyday's coffin.

While fans gathered in large numbers, giant screens were put up across the city to show the 'national homage'.

National television and radio put out a stream of special programmes since his death featuring Hallyday's best-known songs along with recordings of tributes from his friends and fans.