(29 Sep 2019) Hundreds of people lined up in front of Paris' Invalides monument on Sunday to pay public tribute to former French President Jacques Chirac, who died Thursday at age 86.
Chirac was lying in state Sunday afternoon inside the monument, where France honours its national heroes.
Mourners were allowed a moment of silence by the casket, which was covered by the French flag and placed under an enlarged photo of a smiling Chirac.
Many of those who had come to Paris to pay their last respects described Chirac with warmth.
"He saw you, smiled at you and he loved you. We had the impression we belonged to his family. He was a simple man," said Boulogne resident, Nicole Pats.
"For me he was extraordinary. He was indeed a great humanist," said Paris resident,Michel Franck.
A memorial service is planned in the French capital on Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron and some 30 former or current heads of states and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, expected to attend.
A private funeral will take place later that day.
Chirac was France's president between 1995-2007, and during his political career also served as Prime Minister, Paris mayor and a lawmaker.

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