French singer and actress Regine, who claimed the invention of the modern discotheque and once ran a nightclub empire from Paris to Los Angeles, died on Sunday aged 92, her grand-daughter told AFP.
Regine, born Regina Zylberberg in Belgium, opened her first club in Paris´s Latin Quarter in the 1950s, replacing the juke-box, ubiquitous in dance venues at the time, with turntables and disc jockeys.
The new format, she often said, justified her claim to "the invention of the discotheque".
She famously said: "If you can´t dance, you can´t make love."
The new discos caught on with the jet set and Regine, who became known as the "queen of the night", opened several more venues, including "Regine´s" in New York in the 1970s, and others in Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles.
"Regine left us peacefully at 11 am (0900 GMT) on this May 1," her grand-daughter Daphne Rotcajg said.
She also acted in several films, including by star directors Claude Lelouch and Claude Zidi.
'Virgin River's' last season was aired on November 30, 2023
Prince Harry finds connection to royals despite uprooting from UK
Jennifer Lopez was announced as one of the chairs for the Met Gala 2024
Prince William had a hard time processing Kate Middleton's health scare
Rihanna made a subtle nod to her boyfriend A$AP Rocky during the latest sighting
Savannah Chrisley revealed this past September that she is dating footballer Robert Shiver