Jean-Claude Baker

Jean-Claude Julien Léon Tronville, more commonly known as Jean-Claude Baker (April 18, 1943 – January 15, 2015),[1] was a French-American restaurateur.

Biography

He was born out of wedlock in Dijon in 1943, and at age 14, worked as a bellhop. He set out for Paris, where he first encountered Josephine Baker, an entertainer, activist, and French Resistance agent.

Baker became the legal guardian of Jean-Claude, and he was then an unofficial addition to the 12 adopted children of her orphan "rainbow tribe",[2] which included Jean-Claude Bouillon-Baker. He, in turn, took her surname, and as a budding showman of his own, fostered her career.

In 1993, he co-authored with Chris Chase a biography of Josephine Baker, Josephine: The Hungry Heart, described as a "shocking look into the star's seriously whitewashed past".[3]

Death

Baker died of suicide at his home in East Hampton, New York on January 15, 2015, at age 71.[4]

Books
  • Baker, Jean-Claude & Chris Chase. Josephine: the Hungry Heart (2001), Cooper Square Pub; ISBN 0815411723

References
  1. McBride, Walter. "Photo Flashback: Remembering Jean-Claude Baker". Archived from the original on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  2. Blumenthal, Ralph (8 February 2018). "Jean-Claude Baker, 'Son' of Josephine Baker, Is Remembered". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  3. "Jean Claude Baker". The Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. Weber, Bruce (15 January 2021). "Jean-Claude Baker Dies at 71; Restaurateur Honored a Chanteuse". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021.


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