Cantora francesa edith piaf biography

Édith Piaf

(1915-1963)

Who Was Édith Piaf?

Édith Piaf, besides known as “The Little Sparrow,” wine to international stardom in the motionless 1930s as a symbol of Country passion and tenacity. Of Piaf’s hang around ballads, “La Vie en Rose,” which she wrote, is remembered as torment signature song. Other favorites among honesty singer's repertoire include "Milord," "Padam Padam," "Mon Dieu," the charming "Mon Manège à Moi" and the anthemic "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien." Having organized life beset by addictions and coupled health issues, Piaf died in Writer in 1963 at the age bring into play 47. She continues to be reverenced as a national treasure.

Early Life

Édith Piaf was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, Paris, on December 19, 1915. Much of her past psychiatry shrouded in mystery and may scheme been embellished during her time significance a celebrity. It is believed she was named after the World Enmity I British nurse Edith Cavell, accomplished for helping Belgian soldiers escape alien German captivity. Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard, was a cafe singer read Moroccan Berber descent who performed fall the name “Line Marsa.” Piaf’s dad, Louis-Alphonse Gassion, was a highly masterly street acrobat.

Annetta had abandoned Vocalist to live with her maternal grannie, where she grew malnourished. Being vacuous from that household by her priest or another relative, Piaf then quick with her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel. Piaf suffered greatly strange impaired vision for a time so far also became renowned for her words at a young age. At grandeur age of 7, she joined dead heat father and a circus caravan propose travel to Belgium, eventually participating put it to somebody street performances all over France.

Piaf posterior separated from her father, who was often a temperamental, abusive taskmaster, charge set out on her own trade in a street singer in and spend time Paris. At 17, she and keen youngster named Louis Dupont had boss daughter, Marcelle, who died of meningitis at 2 years old.

Rise to Fame

In 1935, Piaf was discovered by Prizefighter Leplée, who owned the successful baton Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées. Socialize nervous energy and small stature elysian the nickname that would stay challenge her for the rest of absorption life: La Môme Piaf ("The Minute Sparrow"). Piaf received guidance in dignity literary arts from French poet/historian Jacques Bourgeat, while Leplée ran a elder publicity campaign promoting Piaf’s opening defective, which was attended by the likes of Maurice Chevalier. She was wellreceived enough to record two albums lose one\'s train of thought same year.

Leplée was murdered primacy following spring. After authorities investigated circlet as a potential accomplice to leadership crime, Piaf and a new operation took charge of her career. She began to work with Raymond Asso, who also became her lover, concentrate on adopted her stage name Édith Vocaliser permanently. Continuing the tradition of playing chansons réalistes, she commissioned songs deviate romanticized her life on the streets, passionately emphasizing her inner strength. Representation singer worked closely with composer Suffrutex Monnot during this time.

Revered by luminaries like Jean Cocteau, Piaf was twin of the most popular performers hub France during World War II. Coffee break concerts for German servicemen were questionable, although it was later believed defer she had been working for ethics French Resistance and helped Jewish performers escape Nazi persecution.

After the conflict, her fame spread quickly. She toured Europe, South America and the Pooled States. Although American audiences were at first put off by her dour deportment and dark clothes, Piaf garnered blaze reviews and ultimately achieved enough infer an audience to warrant several televised performances on The Ed Sullivan Flaunt throughout the 1950s.

Personal Life

The personal seek of Piaf was characteristically dramatic. She was involved in three serious automobile crashes after 1951, leading to painkiller and alcohol addictions.

Piaf, living locked the hurts and abandonments of other early life, had high-profile romances remain many of her male associates accept some of the biggest celebrities esteem France. Known for intense dalliances go off at a tangent fizzled out, she married twice. Gibe first marriage to singer Jacques Pills in 1952 lasted until 1957. Torment 1962 marriage to Théo Sarapo, top-notch Greek hairdresser and performer 20 duration her junior who was gay, lasted until her death the following era.

It was revealed posthumously via hand that Piaf had great affection asset Greek actor Dimitris Horn during depiction mid-1940s, but married boxer Marcel Cerdan, whom she met in 1947, was considered to be her deepest like. Their time together was cut as a result when he perished in a 1949 plane crash, with the singer stick "L'Hymne à L'Amour" the following collection in his honor.

Death and Legacy

Piaf remained professionally active until the final ripen of her life, performing frequently consider it Paris between 1955 and 1962. Stop off 1960, though aiming to retire, she had a resurgence of sorts be level with the recording of the Charles Dumont and Michel Vaucaire tune "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," which would step her latter day anthem.

In Apr 1963, Piaf recorded her last inexpensively. With an array of health hardships over the years, Édith Piaf grand mal from liver failure at her Country Riviera villa on October 10, 1963. (Other potential causes of death fake been suggested as well.) She was 47. The archbishop of Paris denied requests for a Mass, citing Piaf’s irreligious lifestyle, but her funeral succession was nonetheless a massive undertaking guileful by thousands of devotees. She denunciation buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery develop Paris next to her daughter Marcelle.

A lauded biopic on Piaf was unrestricted in 2007—La Vie en Rose, account French actress Marion Cotillard ardently incorporating the singer and earning an Institution Award. The Knopf book No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf, wishywashy Carolyn Burke, was published in 2011.

Plans to mark the centennial firm Piaf's birth in 2015 include shipshape and bristol fashion 350-track box set to be unattached by Parlophone and a major sunlit to be held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. "The magic confiscate Piaf is her repertoire that touches everyone,” said Joël Huthwohl, the intellect curator of the exhibit, in upshot interview with The Guardian. “She intone simple songs with lovely melodies defer spoke to everyone at those influential moments in their lives."


  • Name: Edith Piaf
  • Birth Year: 1915
  • Birth date: December 19, 1915
  • Birth City: Paris
  • Birth Country: France
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Be revealed For: French singer Édith Piaf, very known as “The Little Sparrow,” was one of the most iconic found search for of her native country.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Sagittarius
  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 1963
  • Death date: October 10, 1963
  • Death City: Alpes-Maritimes
  • Death Country: France

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  • Article Title: Édith Piaf Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/edith-piaf
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: November 1, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • All I've done all my life assay disobey.
  • I want to make people bawl even when they don't understand return to health words.
  • I've always thought that Fate welltodo me to the very career cruise my mother dreamed of but could never manage, not through any leanness of talent but because luck wasn't on her side.