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Belgian-French singer and nightclub impresaria (1929–2022) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Régine Zylberberg | |
|---|---|
 Zylberberg at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Rachelle Zylberberg[1] 26 December 1929 Anderlecht, Belgium |
| Died | 1 May 2022 (aged 92) |
| Other names | Régine |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Spouses | Leon Rothcage (m. 1947)Roger Choukroun
(m. 1969; div. 2004) |
| Children | 1 |
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]
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.
Zylberberg died on 1 May 2022, according to her granddaughter.[21][6][22]
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