Beloved French Clown Annie Fratellini Dies

Annie Fratellini, France’s most beloved female clown who founded the nation’s first circus school in 1974, died Tuesday of cancer. She was 64.

The National Circus School said Fratellini had been hospitalized in a clinic outside Paris since June 10.

“Fratellini was a great believer in tradition, but she took it one step further and opened the door to the future,” Veronique, a 17-year-old trapeze artist, told French radio Europe-1. “She is the one responsible for the renewal of the circus today.”

Fratellini’s humor was a finessed slapstick, and she took pride in a spartan use of props.

“Ultimately, that’s my reward - to be able to make audiences laugh using a minimum,” she told French radio RTL in a recent interview.