14 Interesting Facts About Edith Piaf

Do you want to learn interesting facts about Edith Piaf?

Edith Piaf, whose birth name was Edith Giovanna Gassion, was a famous French singer who achieved her most tremendous success in the decades following World War II.

Piaf had a turbulent connection with her husband, and she became famous for singing about the struggles of living in Paris during the war years. Her life was interesting, and she had a rocky relationship with her spouse.

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Piaf became one of the most famous and beloved French singers in history with a phenomenal career spanning three decades. As a result of her exceptional talent, originality, and fiery performances, she became a household name worldwide and a cultural icon in France.

Discover some fascinating information about the life of the French singer Edith Piaf, such as how she rose to fame as a vocalist and how she was able to enjoy a great deal of success throughout her career as a singer.

Here are 14 interesting facts about Edith Piaf.

14 Interesting Facts About Edith Piaf

1. Edith Piaf’s mother was a café singer

Edith Giovanna Gassion, known later as Edith Piaf, came into the world on the streets of Paris on the cold night of December 19, 1915. More precisely, she was born in the Belleville neighborhood, the center of Paris’s working-class population at the time.

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard, was a café singer and just 17 years old when she gave birth to her, and her father, Louis Gassion, was a street acrobat. Edith Piaf was an only child, and despite not having any siblings, she has always held great respect for both of her parents.

2. Edith Piaf became blind at the age of three   

Meningitis caused Edith Piaf to lose sight when she was just three years old, but she was able to restore it when she was four.

Piaf was a famous singer who was recognized for having a voice with a lot of emotion. It is reported that when the doctors could not treat her, she underwent a miraculous recovery after being sent on a pilgrimage to pay honor to Saint Therese of Lisieux.

3. She was raised by a brothel owner  

Piaf’s mother left the family when she was only two years old, and her father was left to raise her on his own. Because of his work schedule, Piaf was often left in the care of her grandmother, Léontine Louise Descamps, who operated a brothel.

Despite growing up in less-than-ideal conditions, Edith found solace in music that she regularly serenaded her family and neighbors with songs. This influenced her career and made her one of France’s best-known and most admired artists.

4. Piaf joined her father as a street performer

Edith Piaf was born into a low-income family. But despite these humble beginnings, Piaf eventually became one of the most recognized singers in the history of French music.

She was the unlikeliest of superstars when she first began her career. Her earliest performances were on the streets alongside her father, who worked as a busker.

After leaving the brothel, Piaf followed in her father’s footsteps. She became a street musician, singing all over Paris and the nearby towns.

5. Piaf got pregnant at the young age of 17

In 1932, when she was only 17 years old, Edith Piaf first encountered a young guy named Louis Dupont, and she immediately fell in love with him. Around the same time, Louis was also going through his teenage years.

After Piaf’s half-sister, Momone, started residing with them in the small room they had been sharing, they realized that it would be best for them to move in together. Their love for one another eventually resulted in the birth of Marcelle, Edith Piaf’s first child, and the couple’s daughter.

6. Piaf’s daughter died of the same disease she had as a child

Marcelle passed away tragically before she was 2 years old due to meningitis, a disease her mother also had before her.  

7. Piaf and her lover parted ways because of her job

Piaf’s lover, Dupont, did not respect the fact that she worked as a street performer. She and Louis Dupont eventually ended their relationship as a direct consequence of their argument over her career.

8. Piaf was known as “the Little Sparrow” at the first nightclub she performed in

One of the most famous singers in history, Edith Piaf is often ranked among the best of all time, with a career that spanned more than four decades. Her powerful voice and emotionally charged lyrics captivated audiences around the world, making her one of the most iconic figures in French music.    

Piaf began performing in Louis Leplee’s nightclub in 1935 after he convinced her to do so. Because of her diminutive stature, he named her “La Mome Piaf,” which translates to “the Little Sparrow.”

9. Louis Leplee’s murder affected Piaf’s career

Leplee gave her some basic advice on acting on stage and insisted that she wear a black outfit. It was intended to be her signature style. Several famous people showed up to her opening night and Piaf released her first two albums in the same year.

Piaf became a huge draw in the nightclub circuit. However, in 1936, when mobsters killed Leplee, trouble came knocking again. Piaf’s career spiraled down, and it took some time for it to recover.

10. Raymond Asso gave her the stage name “Edith Piaf”

When Edith Giovanna Gassion went to French lyricist Raymond Asso for support in the hopes of reviving her career, he advised that she use the stage name “Edith Piaf” in her performances. Asso made important contributions to Piaf’s persona, style, and classics through his singing and songwriting.      

11. Edith Piaf was well-liked by the Nazis

In the early 1940s, when Germany occupied France, Edith Piaf was at the height of her career. She received invitations to sing in brothels and nightclubs visited by German officers and their French accomplices.

Since Piaf was so well-liked by the Nazis, she spent the war years in relative safety. She successfully won the hearts of high-ranking Nazis, which gave her access to French prisoners, some of whom she aided in their escape.

At this time, Piaf also started performing on the French cabaret circuit.

12. “La Vie en Rose” is the singer’s signature song

Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose,” written in 1945, is her signature song and a best-seller in her recording career. This is probably one of the most well-known facts about Edith Piaf.

After this, Piaf embarked on a globe tour, which led to her widespread renown. She gave two performances at Carnegie Hall and made eight appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” a staple of American television.

Her reputation as one of France’s best performers was further cemented when, after this tour, she performed several times at the Paris Olympia, one of the city’s most renowned venues.    

13. Drug and alcohol addiction took over Edith Piaf’s success

The iconic French chanteuse and star of the 1930s and 1940s was also a drug addict. Despite her immense success in the music world, she suffered from a lifelong battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

14. Edith Piaf died at 47

The untimely passing of legendary French vocalist Edith Piaf on 10 October 1963 shocked the music industry. Her residence in Grasse, France, is where she took her last breath at age 47. 

Months prior to her sudden death, Piaf had been drifting in and out of consciousness. While no autopsy was conducted, the cause of the French singer’s death is believed to be liver failure as a result of liver cancer and cirrhosis.