Michel Fardeau, a pioneering researcher in the field of neuromuscular disorders and credited with founding myology as a medical discipline in France, has died.

Professor Fardeau died on 6^th December 2024 at the age of 95 and leaves a legacy of an extraordinary contribution to the field of neuromuscular disorders, both in terms of his own work and of his mentorship of many working in the field today.

He completed his studies during World War Two before working in the Paris Hospitals. He joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) after his internship. From 1967-1968 he was also a Research Fellow for the National Institutes for Health in the United States. He founded the first laboratory dedicated to the histopathological and particularly the ultrastructural studies of muscle and neuromuscular diseases in France, which over the decades became, together with his clinic, a keystone of the Institut de Myologie in Paris, of which he was the first Medical and Scientific Director. In 1990 he was elected as Full Professor and Chair of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers.

Prof Fardeau’s professional accomplishments include being credited with key descriptions of several myopathies and their genetic bases. His research has helped generations of researchers and clinicians working in the field of neuromuscular disorders better detect and prevent these conditions and helped develop therapeutic, experimental and human advances in Duchenne.

Prof Fardeau won a series of awards and honours including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Federation of Neurology in 2002, the Ordre national du Mérite in 1985 and the Légion d'Honneur in 1989.

Friends and family of Prof Fardeau celebrated his life in a ceremony on 16^th December 2024.

Several members of the WMS have paid tribute to Prof Fardeau:

Volker Straub, WMS President: “Michel Fardeau’s death is a great loss to the myology community. He was a true pioneer of our field and many colleagues owe their careers to his groundbreaking work and inspiring mentorship.”

Jorge Bevilacqua: "Michel had the ability to transmit his passion for science, neurology and myology to those who, in turn, preached the discipline with equal passion and affection. Through them, I had the privilege of being nurtured by him as a myologist. Scientifically brilliant, a pioneer of French and world myology, he had an immeasurable and inexhaustible passion for what he did, but also the virtue of simplicity and a family closeness with his apprentices. I know for a fact that his legacy has inspired, is present and will eternally enlighten Latin American myology. I have had the privilege of learning from him, and his closest disciples, sharing invaluable moments and discussions, and I am proud to be able to thank him for his pioneering example."

Gisèle Bonne: “Michel was my mentor, it is thanks to him that I chose to complete a PhD in Myology and am still working in the field. Like many French colleagues, I owe him so much both professional and personally. He was not only a great physician and a great scientist, but also a passionate historian whom I could listen to for hours as he told the history of Augusta Déjerine or Alfred Vulpian. I‘m going to miss him.”

Ana Ferreiro: “Michel was my ‘scientific father’, my life-time mentor and the one who opened for me the door of the international NMD community, in which he had so many friends. I owe him a lot, and so does the myology field in France. He was a great physician, a great humanist and a great mentor, and we will do our best to continue and honour his legacy”

Kevin Flanigan: “Michel was a great scientist and a great human being. I felt a special gratitude to him as he was entirely responsible for me being able to come to the Institut de Myologie for a sabbatical in 2006, and I will always remember a special welcome lunch at La Nouvelle Gare. With sadness but an appreciation for a life well-lived.”

Francesco Muntoni: “A kind, incredibly competent and empathetic giant, who we will all miss. But what a legacy he left behind.”

Ichizo Nishino: “I am deeply grieved by the passing of Michel, whom I have long admired and respected.

“Michel’s remarkable contributions to myology and his warm, generous personality have greatly influenced our field and those who had the privilege of knowing him. I believe the collaborative and welcoming spirit we enjoy today is, in many ways, a reflection of his values and leadership.

“Please extend my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. His legacy will remain a source of inspiration for all of us.”

Norma Beatriz Romero: “Dear Michel, you have been an inspiration, mentor, pillar and example to many colleagues and to me. Today, as well as remembering the great scientist and doctor you were, your pioneering influence, and the noble mark you left on the field of Myology, I would like to highlight your humanism and generosity.”

If you would like to add your tributes to Michel Fardeau, please email your comments to [email protected].