Edit Piaf sings Milord. (Video with English subtitles.)

Édith Giovanna Gassion, aka Édith Piaf (December 19, 1915–October 11, 1963) was one of France’s most loved singers, who became a national icon.

Her music reflected her tragic life, with her specialty being the poignant ballad presented with a heartbreaking voice. Among her most famous songs are “La vie en rose” (1946), “L’hymne à l’amour” (1949), “Milord” (1959), “Non, je ne regrette rien” (1960).

Piaf’s career took off in 1935, when she was discovered by the nightclub owner Louis Leplée. Inspired by her height of only 4′ 8″ (147 cm), he gave her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and serve as her stage name, La Môme Piaf (The Sparrow Kid). Her first record was produced in the same year. Shortly afterward, Leplée was murdered and Piaf was accused of being an accessory, but she was acquitted.

After WW2, she toured Europe, the United States, and South America, becoming an internationally known figure. Her popularity in the United States was such that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times and at Carnegie Hall twice (1956 and 1957).

At the early age of forty-seven, Piaf died of cancer on October 11, 1963. She was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery, in Paris. Although she was forbidden a funeral mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris (because of her lifestyle), her funeral procession drew hundreds of thousands of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was attended by more than forty thousand fans.

A film of Piaf’s life by Olivier Dahan, La Vie en Rose, debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in February, 2007. Titled La Môme in France, the film stars Marion Cotillard as Piaf. Dahan’s film follows Piaf’s early childhood to her death in 1963.

Below are links to three videos of Edith Piaf concerts and interviews from 1963. Each one is just under 10 minutes long. Shortly after these clips were filmed, Piaf died.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Edit Piaf (wiki) | La Mome official film site

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