Paul Mauriat, 81; French conductor hit No. 1 in ‘60s with ‘Love Is Blue’

Paul Mauriat, 81, a French conductor whose arrangement of “Love Is Blue” topped U.S. charts in the 1960s, died Friday in Perpignan in southeast France, according to a cousin, Laurent Mauriat. The cause of death was not reported.

Paul Mauriat was born in Marseille and grew up in Paris. He began studying music at age 4 and eventually studied at the Conservatoire in Paris. He began leading his own band during World War II.

According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, his big break came when he began arranging and conducting recordings for Charles Aznavour.

His 1968 arrangement of “Love is Blue,” written by Andre Popp and originally recorded by Vicky Leandros, was a No. 1 hit in the United States.

He was the co-writer of the French song “Chariot,” which later became the English-language hit “I Will Follow Him” for Little Peggy March.

He often used pseudonyms for his recordings, which were largely light music with an international thrust. He signed with Japanese recording company Pony Canyon in 1994. He last performed in Osaka in 1998, though his Paul Mauriat Orchestra continues to perform in Asia.