Andre Provencher Courtesy of NFB Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Andre Provencher, a giant of Quebec media in TV, publishing, radio and digital media, has died. He was 76. "He passed away surrounded by his loved ones, without too much suffering. It's a big loss for us," Provencher's wife, Rachel Martinez, told La Presse, the leading Quebec newspaper, after her husband died on Jan. 1 in Montreal after a short battle with cancer. Suzanne Guèvremont, government film commissioner and chair of the National Film Board of Canada, where Provencher served on its board of trustees for seven years, added in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter: "Andre was a great defender of the importance of culture in our society, of intellectual property, and of the Francophonie. I will miss the insightful and passionate conversations I had with him. Andre was a man of heart, generous and profoundly human. Thank you for everything, Andre." Related Stories General News How Vancouver Film School Builds Real-World Creators Business Universal Music Acquires 30 Percent Stake in India's Excel Entertainment Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec, Provencher began his media career in the early 1970s in newspapers, initially with the Courrier Sud, at age 18. "We did everything at the newspaper. It really cultivated resourcefulness. We became multi-skilled and multi-talented. The newspaper layout, at the time, wasn't done on a computer, but with glue. Then, we would leave with boxes towards the printing plant, located at the time in Arthabaska," Provencher recalled in a July 2025 interview with Courrier Sud. That newspaper gig opened the way for Provencher to branch out to other areas of the French-speaking media in Quebec, including the TVA Group, Télé-Québec and the cable giant Cogeco. As a television producer, Provencher launched La Presse Télé, the maker of popular series like Les Parent (which has been adapted widely internationally), Les chefs! and En direct de l'univers. As a newspaper editor, he also led the titles Le Nouvelliste and Le Soleil into the digital age. In 2011, Provencher as president and CEO led the launch of the $100 million Quebec Cultural Capital Fund to develop and invest in cultural projects in partnership with the Quebec provincial government, with an eye to international export of homegrown content. Provencher served on a host of company boards, including for the World Newspaper Association, the Television and Cable Distribution Fund, TV5 Québec-Canada, the Quebec Film and Television Producers Association, INIS and private companies like Vivavision, Sarbakan and Alliance Vivafilm. He also received a slew of awards and distinctions over his career, including the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières award, the Raphaël Prize from the Séminaire de Nicolet and Gemini and CanPro awards. Provencher is survived by his wife, Rachel Martinez, and their three children, Paul, Bruno and François. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up World Lens Vancouver Film School How Vancouver Film School Builds Real-World Creators Los Angeles Wildfires After Burn: Has Hollywood Already Forgotten the Fires? donald trump Trump Says U.S. Plans to "Run" Venezuela and Tap Its Oil Reserves, After Operation to Oust Nicolás Maduro Rambling Reporter From Bardot to Depardieu, Why Are French Movie Stars Flirting With Fascism? Rambling Reporter Nature Calls? There's a Map for That! NYC mayor Eric Adams Fires Back at Andy Cohen's "Sloppy Drunken Rant" on New Year's Eve: "He Should Seek Help" World Lens Vancouver Film School How Vancouver Film School Builds Real-World Creators Los Angeles Wildfires After Burn: Has Hollywood Already Forgotten the Fires? donald trump Trump Says U.S. Plans to "Run" Venezuela and Tap Its Oil Reserves, After Operation to Oust Nicolás Maduro Rambling Reporter From Bardot to Depardieu, Why Are French Movie Stars Flirting With Fascism? Rambling Reporter Nature Calls? There's a Map for That! NYC mayor Eric Adams Fires Back at Andy Cohen's "Sloppy Drunken Rant" on New Year's Eve: "He Should Seek Help"