France to pay national homage to Aznavour at Paris ceremony

A ceremony to honour Aznavour, one of France's most famous stars, will be held in Paris on Friday, France 24 reports, citing the office of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron himself will deliver a speech at a ceremony to be held in the courtyard of Les Invalides, a complex of buildings and monuments related to French military history.

Aznavour, 94, was found dead on Monday at his home in the southeast, sparking nationwide mourning for an entertainer who sold 180 million records during his eight-decade-long career.

Franco-Armenian Aznavour was discovered Monday lunchtime "lying in his bathroom bathtub, next to his bedroom," prosecutor Patrick Desjardins told reporters near his home in the town of Mouries on Tuesday.

An autopsy found the death "occurred in the morning of October 1, in the wake of an acute oedema caused by cardiorespiratory failure," Desjardins said.

"Foul play can be ruled out, but the circumstances surrounding the death are not precisely known."

Aznavour had said last week that he wanted to breathe his last on stage and was scheduled to appear live in Belgium and France in the next few weeks.

His legions of fans have been left heartbroken by his death, while fellow entertainers lined up to pay tribute to his influence as a taboo-breaking singer and original songwriter.