Les Colocs is a Quebecois rock band that emerged in Montreal, Canada, in 1990. The original members were André Fortin, Jimmy Bourgoing, Mike Sawatzky, Patrick Esposito Di Napoli, and Serge Robert. The band's first public performance was at the Montreal International Rock Festival in October 1990 and 1992, they were given the opportunity to open for Rudeluck at Parc de la Francophonie during the Quebec Summer Festival. They also participated in the Empire des futures stars competition the same year. On February 23, 1993, Les Colocs released their self-titled debut album, with seven of its tracks charting in the top 15 including "Dédé," "Julie," "Juste une p'tite nuite," "La Rue principale," "Maudit qu'le monde est beau," "Mauvais caractère," and "Passe-moé la puck," seeing the band take home four Félix Awards including New Artist of the Year, Group of the Year, Best Music Video Director, and Music Video of the Year. The band continued to grow, and in October 1994, they won Group of the Year for the second consecutive year, shortly before Di Napoli, who had contracted AIDS, passed away. Les Colocs released their second album, Atrocetomique, on October 30, 1995, shortly before Robert left the band to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by bassist André Vanderbiest and in May 1998, their third album, Dehors Novembre, was released, dedicated to di Napoli’s memory, with Bourgoing departing soon after due to internal conflicts. In November 1998, Les Colocs won the Félix Award for Rock Album of the Year, however the band's journey came to a tragic end on May 8, 2000, when Fortin took his own life, bringing an end to their illustrious career. A posthumous album titled Suite 2116 was released in 2001, which featured previously unreleased tracks and in 2009, a film about the singer's life, titled Dédé, À Travers les Brumes, was released in theatres on March 13. A few months later, an unreleased song called "La Comète," found by André Vanderbiest, was released, solidifying the band's lasting impact on the Quebec music scene.
