Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf born Édith Giovanna Gassion 19 December 1915 10 October 1963 was a French singer lyricist and actress Noted as Frances national chanteuse she was one of the countrys most widely known international stars Piafs music was often autobiographical and she specialized in chanson réaliste and torch ballads about love loss and sorrow Her most widely known songs include La Vie en rose 1946 Non je ne regrette rien 1960 Hymne à lamour 1949 Milord 1959 La Foule 1957 LAccordéoniste 1940 and Padam padam 1951 Since her death in 1963 several biographies and films have studied her life including 2007s La Vie en rose Piaf has become one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century Despite numerous biographies much of Piafs life is unknown She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville Paris Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72 but her birth certificate says that she was born on 19 December 1915 at the Hôpital Tenon a hospital located in the 20th arrondissement She was named Édith after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell who was executed 2 months before Édiths birth for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity Piaf slang for sparrow was a nickname she received 20 years later Louis Alphonse Gassion 18811944 Édiths father was a street performer of acrobatics from Normandy with a past in the theatre He was the son of Victor Alphonse Gassion 18501928 and Léontine Louise Descamps 18601937 known as Maman Tine a madam who ran a brothel in Bernay in Normandy Her mother Annetta Giovanna Maillard better known professionally as Line Marsa 18951945 was a singer and circus performer born in Italy of French descent on her fathers side and of Italian and Kabyle on her mothers Her parents were Auguste Eugène Maillard 18661912 and Emma Aïcha Saïd Ben Mohammed 18761930 daughter of Said ben Mohammed 18271890 an acrobat born in Mogador and Marguerite Bracco 18301898 born in Murazzano in Italy Annetta and LouisAlphonse divorced on 4 June 1929 Piafs mother abandoned her at birth and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother Emma Aïcha When her father enlisted with the French Army in 1916 to fight in World War I he took her to his mother who ran a brothel in Bernay Normandy There prostitutes helped look after Piaf The bordello had two floors and seven rooms and the prostitutes were not very numerous about ten poor girls as she later described In fact five or six were permanent while a dozen others would join the brothel during market days and other busy days The submistress of the brothel was called Madam Gaby and Piaf considered her almost like family since she became godmother of Denise Gassion Piafs halfsister born in 1931 Edith believed her weakness for men came from mixing with prostitutes in her grandmothers brothel Source Article Édith Piaf from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30