- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdith Giovanna Gassion
- Nicknames
- La Môme Piaf
- The French Billie Holiday
- Height4′ 9¾″ (1.47 m)
- When one thinks of Edith Piaf, one thinks of love, sorrow and beautiful music.
One did not breathe without the other two. Born in Paris practically on
the streets on December 19, 1915, she struggled from day one, the
daughter of street performers. The mother, a singer, eventually
abandoned both Edith and her father for a solo career.
Piaf spent her youth entertaining passers-by, receiving little formal education in the
process. She often accompanied her father's acrobat street act with her
singing and at various times was forced to live with various relatives,
in alleys or in cheap hotels. An aborted love affair left her with a
baby girl at age 17, but little Marcelle died of meningitis at 2 years
old. Devastated, Piaf returned to the streets she knew, now performing
solo.
Her fortunes finally changed when an impresario, Louis Leplee,
mesmerized by what he heard, offered the starving but talented urchin a
contract. He alone was responsible for taking her off the streets at
age 20 and changing her name from Edith Gassion to "La Mome Piaf" (or
"Kid Sparrow"). Piaf grew in status entertaining in elegant cafés and
cabarets and became a singing sensation amid the chic French society
with her throbbing vocals and raw, emotional power.
From 1936, Piaf recorded many albums and eventually became one of the highest paid
stars in the world. She was first embroiled in scandal when her mentor,
Leplee, was murdered and she was held for questioning. She managed to
survive the messy affair and carry on while her ever-growing society
circle now began to include such elite members as writer/director
Jean Cocteau. Piaf also took to writing and
composing around this time; one of the over 80 songs she wrote included
her signature standard, "La vie en rose." Although she appeared
sporadically in films, it was live audiences that sustained her.
Piaf later toured the United States to branch out internationally.
America was slow to accept the melodramatic Piaf but she persevered and
eventually won legions of fans. She also continued a series of affairs
with the likes of actor Paul Meurisse,
composer Henri Contet and, most notably, boxing champion Marcel Cerdan.
The latter's death in a 1949 plane crash left Piaf broken and devastated. Many
claim this was the beginning of her downfall.
Piaf had a life-long habit of involving herself heart and soul in the launching of her
lovers' careers. Over the years this would include Yves Montand and Eddie Constantine. Two serious car accidents suffered in 1951 led to a
morphine and alcohol addiction that left Piaf's life skidding out of
control despite a potentially happy marriage in 1952 to actor Jacques Pills. Though slowly crippled by severe arthritis, a series of
spectacular comebacks in concert and recordings would follow over the
years but her health would slowly waste her away.
Piaf's last appearance
was at the Paris Olympia, racked and hunched over with pain and barely
able to stand. Her last recorded song was "L'homme de Berlin" in 1963,
the year of her death. She died in poverty on the same day as her
friend Cocteau and at the age of 47, the same age as her equally
tortured American counterpart,
Judy Garland. Piaf left many debts for her
second husband (and protégé) Theo Sarapo, who was twenty years younger
(he died in 1970, at age 34). Piaf's funeral was massive yet, because
of her lifestyle, was forbidden a Mass. It was the only time since WWII
that Parisian traffic was completely stopped. A museum was dedicated in
her honor. Piaf remains the epitome of the French singer in heart,
soul, style and passion. For many devotees, Piaf IS France.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
- SpousesThéo Sarapo(October 9, 1962 - October 10, 1963) (her death)Jacques Pills(September 20, 1952 - May 15, 1957) (divorced)
- Her black dress.
- Petite frame.
- Signature song: "La vie en rose".
- Touching, powerful mezzo-soprano vocals.
- Despite many problems throughout her career, Piaf eventually became the
most highly paid star in the world. - Was romantically involved with boxer Marcel Cerdan when he died
tragically in a plane crash between Paris and Casablanca (1949). - Is portrayed by Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (2007), a biopic about her life.
- Had a child named Marcelle who died at the age of two, in 1935, from
meningitis. - After living with her maternal grandmother for a short time, she was
raised by her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel in
Normandy.
- You never know a guy till you've tried him in bed. You know more about a guy in one night in bed than you do in months of conversation. In the sack, they can't cheat!
- For me, singing is a way of escaping. It is another world. I'm no longer on earth.
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