It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr. Jean Gaudant, lecturer in geology and palaeontology at the University Paris 7 (1970-2006), research associate at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (2007-2015) and eminent specialist in the field of the Cenozoic teleosts of Europe. It is a great honour for me to present this extended obituary, which provides a brief outline of his scientific career, an overview of his favourite research topics, and some personal reminiscences of our work together. A bibliography of his 286 scientific publications is given at the end of this tribute to Jean Gaudant and his work.