Piaf, Edith (pēäf`), 1915–63, French cabaret singer, born as Edith Giovanna Gassion. She began to sing at 15 in cafés and in the streets of Paris and was soon engaged to sing in a cabaret. Fame quickly followed her appearances in nightclubs all over Europe and America. Piaf appeared in several movies, starring in Le Bel Indifférent (1940), originally a play written for her by Jean Cocteau. Her highly emotional and powerful voice was enormously expressive. Her performance of the song Milord was especially cherished by international audiences.

Bibliography

See her memoirs, Au bal de la chance (1958, tr. 1965); biography by her half sister Simone Berteaut (1972).

Piaf, Edith

orig. Edith Giovanna Gassion

(born Dec. 19, 1915, Paris, France—died Oct. 11, 1963, Paris) French popular singer and actress. Her mother, a café singer, abandoned her at birth; Piaf became blind at age three as a result of meningitis but recovered her sight four years later. Her father, a circus acrobat, took her along on tours and encouraged her to sing. She sang for years in the streets of Paris until discovered by a cabaret owner who gave her her first nightclub job and suggested she change her name to Piaf, Parisian slang for “sparrow.” She was soon singing her chansons (ballads) in the large music halls of Paris. During World War II she entertained French prisoners of war and aided several in their escapes. She spent the postwar years touring, gaining worldwide fame with her intense performances of songs such as “Non, je ne regrette rien” (“No, I regret nothing”). Her throaty, expressive voice, combined with her fragile appearance and a dramatic tight spotlight on her face and hands, made her concerts memorable.