Édith Giovanna Gassion (b.12/29/15 – d. 10/10/63) known as Édith Piaf, was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France’s greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century.
Early Life
The name “Édith” was inspired by British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed 2 months before Édith’s birth for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity during World War I. Twenty years later, Édith’s stage surname Piaf was created by her first promoter, based on a French term for ‘sparrow.’
Édith’s father, Louis Alphonse Gassion (1881–1944,) was an acrobatic street performer from Normandy with a theater background. Her paternal grandfather was Victor Alphonse Gassion (1850–1928,) and her paternal grandmother mother was Léontine Louise Descamps (1860–1937,) who ran a brothel in Normandy and was known professionally as “Maman Tine.” Édith’s mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1895–1945,) was a singer and circus performer born in Italy who performed under the stage name “Line Marsa.” Edith’s maternal grandfather, Auguste Eugène Maillard (1866–1912,) was of French descent and Édith’s maternal grandmother was Emma (Aïcha) Saïd Ben Mohammed (1876–1930,) an acrobat of Kabyle and Italian descent.
Edith’s mother abandoned her at birth, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother in Normandy. Her father enlisted with the French Army in 1916 to fight in World War I. By the end of the war, she was in the care of her paternal grandmother, at her brothel in Normandy; the prostitutes helped look after her.
From the age of three to seven, Piaf was allegedly blind as a result of keratitis. According to one of her biographers, she recovered her sight after her grandmother’s prostitutes pooled money to accompany her on a pilgrimage honoring Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Piaf claimed this resulted in a miraculous healing.
Early Career
At age 14, Piaf was taken by her father to join him in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first began to sing in public. The following year, Piaf met Simone “Mômone” Berteaut, who became a companion for most of her life.
Piaf’s career and fame gained momentum during the German occupation of France in World War II. She began forming friendships with prominent people, such as actor and singer Maurice Chevalier and poet Jacques Bourgeat. Piaf also performed in various nightclubs and brothels, which flourished between 1940 and 1945.
World War II
Piaf was accused of collaborating with the German occupying forces and in October 1944 she had to testify before an Épuration légale (post-war legal trial,) as there were plans to ban her from appearing on radio transmissions. One source suggests that she was blacklisted for a period. However, her secretary Andrée Bigard, a member of the French Resistance, spoke in her favor after the Liberation. According to Bigard, she performed several times at prisoner-of-war camps in Germany and was instrumental in helping a number of prisoners escape.
Post-War
Piaf wrote and performed her signature song, “La Vie en rose” in 1945. This song was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1947, she wrote the lyrics to the song “What Can I Do?”. It was premiered and recorded by her former lover Montand. Within a year, Montand became one of the most famous singers in France. During this time, she was in great demand and very successful in Paris as France’s most popular entertainer. After the war, she became known internationally, touring Europe, the United States, and South America. At first she met with little success with American audiences, who expected a gaudy spectacle and were disappointed by Piaf’s simple presentation. However, after a glowing review by influential New York critic Virgil Thomson in 1947, her popularity in the U.S. grew to the point where she eventually appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show eight times, and at Carnegie Hall twice (in 1956 and 1957.)
Personal Troubles
In 1951, Piaf was injured in a car accident where she suffered a broken arm and two broken ribs. Her doctor prescribed the drug morphine as a treatment for arthritis, which became a dependency alongside her alcohol problems. Two more near-fatal car crashes exacerbated the situation. In early 1963, soon after recording “L’Homme de Berlin” with her husband Théo Sarapo, Piaf slipped into a coma due to liver cancer. Piaf’s body is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where her grave is among the most visited.
Discography, Film Tributes, and Filmography
From 1933 – 1963 she recorded 316 songs! There have been 8 films based on her life, 5 documentaries, and 1 play on Edith’s life. Interestingly (?) in 2023 a film production company began planning on biopic where AI will replicate Edith’s voice, with the agreement of the Piaf family who provided recordings for it. Her filmography includes 11 films.
Source: wikipedia
A 50-minute documentary on Edith:
Tao Talk 