Maximilien Laroche, a native of Cap-Haitien, living in Quebec since 1960, researcher and professor of comparative literature, died at the age of 80 in Quebec at the St-Sacrement Hospital.

Stéphanie Auguste, the Minister of Haitians living Abroad, bowed to her mortal remains while welcoming her entry into the literary and artistic national pantheon.

"The regrettable disappearance of this eminent man of letters from the diaspora highlights a life of toil and success, a source of inspiration for Haitians from elsewhere and from here. Professor Laroche, who emigrated to Canada in 1960, had loved Haiti to the point of making it the principal identity and cultural reference of his brilliant career as a writer and professor at the University of Laval, Quebec.

The departure of Maximilien Laroche comes, and it is a shame, to darken a little more the sky of Haiti which watches, helplessly, eclipse lately, many of its most sparkling stars.

Minister Auguste, on behalf of the Government, expresses her condolences to all those affected by this disappearance."

The religious service will be celebrated on Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 2 pm at St-Charles Garnier Church, 1215 Chanoine-Morel Avenue, Quebec City, Quebec G1S 4B1.

The family will receive condolences at the church from 1 pm (one hour before the ceremony). A reception will follow the ceremony.

The ashes will be placed in the columbarium of the Maison Gomin Funeral Complex, 2026, boul. René-Lévesque West, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 2K8.

IH/ iciHaiti