In June 1965, two myths merged. Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan embodied two archetypal characters of celebrity culture who desired a secret wedding that ended up becoming the uncontrollable delirium of hundreds of fans.
As a result of the commercialization process orchestrated by Gilles Paquet, Johnny's press agent, the couple's only son, David, was born, a singer-songwriter and actor inheriting attributes displayed over time in the visual spotlight. Growing up in the shadow of the French Elvis was not easy, as shown in the documentary Hallyday by David, broadcast last Wednesday on the M6 channel, on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the star's death.
Johnny Hallyday's funeral -Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, his real name- at the Madeleine church brought together a million people on the Champs-Élysées. Undoubtedly, an unprecedented massive manifestation of mourning that indirectly led to the public introduction of a new member of the clan, Cameron Smet, who, at 13, captivated the masses.
His grandfather, Michel Pastor, amassed a fortune of 20,000 million
Cameron, raised between Paris, Monaco, Saint-Tropez, and the Alps, has inherited his grandfather's feline gaze and remains, at 21, that dark object of desire gradually opening up to a virtual world.
Shy compared to his stepsisters Ilona (30) and Emma (28), born from David's first marriage to actress and model Estelle Lefébure, who are social media addicts, Cameron has only posted four images on his Instagram. But nearly two years ago, he opened his TikTok account, where he shows his lesser-known side: dining in exquisite Parisian restaurants, flexing muscles at the gym, enjoying backstage at his father's concerts...
On the maternal side, Cameron can also boast illustrious genetics. His mother, Alexandra Pastor, is the heiress to a vast real estate fortune and belongs to one of the richest and most influential families in Monaco. His great-grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Pastor, was an Italian builder who, after founding J.B. Pastor & Fils in 1920, had the approval of Prince Louis II, father of Rainier and grandfather of Albert, to create the principality's first water supply system.
With the profits, he bought extensive land in Monte Carlo, where he built exclusive apartments like those on Avenue Princesse Grace, one of the world's most expensive streets.
It was his grandson Michel who, leading the business and with Rainier's connivance, vastly increased his fortune. In the 1960s, the prince gained land by burying the train track leading to the principality under the Mediterranean, making the builder the architect of Monte Carlo's skyline. Michel Pastor developed the Fontvieille district and invested in hundreds of apartments and commercial buildings. At his death in 2014, his fortune was estimated at 20,000 million euros.
Michel married twice. The first time to Syliane Stella, with whom he had his son Fabrizio, who eventually left him for José Luis de Vilallonga. From his second marriage, four children were born, one of them being Alexandra, who is therefore Fabrizio's half-sister.
Alexandra and David married in 2004, the same year Cameron was born. In an interview with Paris Match, Alexandra revealed that the couple supports each other and that David "is a very modest person, not easily revealing his emotions". In the documentary Hallyday by David, she also recounts that her husband "has become the leader of the clan." Their daughters, Ilona and Emma, have made him a grandfather three times.
Cameron has shown musical abilities - in 2024, he appeared in the music video Sang pour sang, a new version of his grandfather's classic - but for now, he is studying business at university, perhaps aiming to get a share of the Pastor's fortune . His father has revealed that he also enjoys cinema, fashion, and drawing. "I think he wants to pursue a career in the film industry in the future," he stated. He has the looks, but his father is very cautious. "Being handsome is not enough, he has to know how to do something. I know what he is capable of, but he has not yet proven it, he is still in university, studying," he said in an interview on RFM radio.