Yes, yes, it’s the famous singer, Edith Piaf, whose legendary destiny can be talked about endlessly. The name of the famous Parisian diva, Edith Piaf, is surrounded by numerous legends, one of which says that she was born on the steps of house number 72 in the poor Parisian neighborhood of Belleville.
The girl’s name was Edith Giovanna Gassion; her father was a circus acrobat, and her mother was a street singer. Since shortly after her birth, the head of the family was mobilized for the war, and the mother had absolutely nothing to do with the newborn girl, little Edith was raised by her maternal grandmother, a Berber Moroccan, until she was one and a half years old.
Edith Piaf had numerous love affairs that she started and ended without hesitation and without regret. As soon as this petite woman began to feel her feelings cooling off, she immediately left the man and went in search of new adventures.
At the age of 16, in one of the bars, Edith met the 17-year-old courier Louis Dupont, with whom she had a civil marriage and gave birth to a daughter, Marcel. This marriage turned out to be very painful for the future star, as she lost her daughter. The singer no longer had any children.
At the age of 20, Louis Leplée, the owner of the Zhernis nightclub, noticed the street singer and invited her for an audition. He was the first benefactor of the future star, teaching her to work with an accompanist, to dress tastefully, to behave properly on stage, and to follow facial expressions and gestures.
It was this man who found her stage name – «Piaf,» which translates to «little sparrows.» Apparently, Leplée had such an association due to Edith’s small stature – 142 centimeters. Posters from that time were filled with portraits of Edith with the caption – «Little Piaf.»
Ce fut un succès fulgurant pour une fille qui s’est échappée de la misère des rues parisiennes. Une fois, lors d’une tournée en Amérique, la star a rencontré le célèbre boxeur français Marcel Cerdan. C’est lui qui est devenu l’homme principal de la vie du petit Piaf.
Cependant, il y avait un « mais » qui a éclipsé leur bonheur – Cerdan était marié et avait trois petits. Jusqu’à la fin de ses jours, il a été déchiré entre sa famille et sa femme bien-aimée. A son premier appel, il se précipita vers son moineau jusqu’au bout de la terre. Une telle impulsion a une fois tragiquement mis fin à sa vie.
Their romance lasted only a year, starting in 1948 and ending on October 28, 1949. It was on that day that Cerdan flew from Paris to join her in New York. In poor health, Edith practically stopped communicating with the outside world, burying herself alive in her house.
She often visited the hospital to heal her injured and broken body. It was there that she met her late love – Théo Sarapo. Somehow, the young and attractive man, who was 20 years younger than Piaf, brought a doll into her room. Then, after a week of hospital visits, he proposed to the 47-year-old singer. Later, Piaf would say, «I truly loved only Marcel Cerdan. And all my life, I only waited for Théo Sarapo.»