Suffering from bipolarity, the former host of “The Treasure Map” died at the age of 68. He had become a figure in the French audiovisual landscape.
Sylvain Augier died on Saturday March 16, 2024 at his home in Sommières, in Gard. The public service journalist and presenter was 68 years old. A beloved figure in the French audiovisual landscape, he embodies passion in the field of television. Host, journalist and producer, Sylvain Augier was born on May 7, 1955 in Toulouse and quickly developed a fascination for the world of communication. The man who had once considered doing the ENA had finally started his career as a radio reporter, on France Inter, in 1979. Presenter of Sexy Folies on Antenne 2 in 1986, Sylvain Augier also worked for TF1 and Sud Radio. However, he mainly had a career in public service. He will remain for many as one of the faces of the shows Faut pas rêve, which he hosted from 1990 to 1999, and La Carte aux Trésors, from 1996 to 2005. Through these shows, he managed to establish an authentic connection with his audience.
His curiosity led him to explore various forms of storytelling and refine his skills in reporting and animation. Beyond his work on screen, Sylvain Augier is also recognized for his commitment to various social and environmental causes. By using his fame to raise awareness about issues such as environmental preservation and human rights, he has demonstrated a certain sense of social responsibility.
An illness made public last fall
In the fall of 2023, Sylvain Augier released a book entitled I am coming back from far, in which he revealed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the 1990s. He was then 35 years old. “I had this crazy energy and then moments of weakness that I didn’t understand,” says in his work the man who spent the rest of his career hiding his ailments.
On the set of Figaro, Sylvain Augier recently confided: “I was hiding. I didn’t want to show my colleagues and the public that I was suffering.” And to remember again: “I curled up in the back of a car so that no one would recognize me before going to host a television show, and I did that for years!”
Suffering in silence, the journalist explained at the time of the release of his book that he had made several suicide attempts before being taken in and treated. Since then, Sylvain Augier assured him, he had no longer had suicidal thoughts. However, his bipolarity pushed Sylvain Augier to withdraw from the world of Little Lucrne in 2014.