The French cinema is in mourning. On Friday, April 17th, Nathalie Baye, 77, passed away at her home in Paris after a battle with Lewy body disease, a neurodegenerative condition. Her health had been a concern for several months, especially after her absence at the 2025 Days of the Rose event in Doué-la-Fontaine. Prior to this, she had been hospitalized in 2020 for bronchopulmonary complications, which had alerted her loved ones.
On Friday, April 24th, her family gathered at the Saint-Sulpice church in the 6th arrondissement of Paris to pay their final respects. To honor her mother’s memory, Laura Smet organized the funeral to reflect the late actress.
Who is Christian Lancrey-Javal, the priest chosen by Laura Smet?
The details revealed by Le Parisien include the choice of the priest, who is indeed Christian Lancrey-Javal, Laura Smet’s brother-in-law. He had previously married Laura Smet to Raphaël Lancrey-Javal in 2018 in a discreet ceremony at the 7th arrondissement town hall in Paris. Christian Lancrey-Javal also baptized their five-year-old son Léo. According to Le Parisien, the priest delivered a glowing tribute to the French cinema icon, describing her as “the French woman, the French soul.”
Nathalie Baye was buried in a white coffin, similar to the one chosen by Johnny Hallyday.
At the end of the ceremony, Laura Smet also delivered a poignant final message to her mother: “She did not know boredom, not even loneliness, she had made it an ally. She gave me so much love, so much strength. She raised me up when I was down, me and many others. She was an incredible friend, an eternal lover, and a fabulous mother.” Other details were also arranged for the ceremony.
As reported by Paris Match, a password, “grenouille” (meaning “frog” in French), was required to enter the church as a humorous nod to the actress, who was a staunch animal rights activist. Another touching symbol was Nathalie Baye being buried in a white coffin, similar to the one chosen by Johnny Hallyday for his funeral in December 2017 at the Madeleine church. The ceremony was described as “simple, in her image, with a lot of class” by her friend Jacques Weber near the Saint-Sulpice fountain.
