At the Vélodrome stadium, the former Virage Nord was renamed in his memory, honored at each match by thousands of supporters repeating this heady refrain in unison: “From the Virage Depé… The fervor will rise… Of the people of Marseille…”
“Oh guys, there’s no arrangement!”
Anyone who doesn’t know him isn’t from Marseille! That you were able to jump alongside him, sing arm in arm following his instructions shouted into his megaphone, hear him shout “Oh guys, there’s no agreement!” travel hours by bus across France and Europe with him, see him treat the seated spectators with “Footix”or you have simply heard the elders recount their common anecdotes, his name means something to you. He is a legend in the history of OM, even though he was not on the field but in the stands (or, sometimes, in the locker room).
Depé, it’s a state of mind. And a legacy. Patrice de Peretti died of a ruptured aneurysm on July 28, 2000. The myth will never die. Twenty-six years after his death, his legend continues, maintained in particular by all those who knew and loved him.
It is this myth that “France Culture” invites you to rediscover this Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., in a radio documentary by Léa Warrin, directed by Laure-Hélène Planchet, divided into two parts: “Du minot à la légende” et “Like a smoke bomb.”A great moment not to be missed.
