Edith Giovanna (Gassion) Piaf (1915 - 1963)

Born 19 Dec 1915 in Paris XX, Seine, France

Ancestors

Wife of René Victor Eugène Ducos — married 20 Sep 1952 (to 15 May 1957) in New York City, New York, United States

Died 10 Oct 1963 at age 47 in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Problems/Questions Profile manager: France Project WikiTree [send private message]

Edith (Gassion) Piaf is managed by the France project. Join: France Project Discuss: france

Biography

Edith (Gassion) Piaf is Notable.

Edith Giovanna PIAF.^[1][2]

Internationally renowned French singer-songwriter, cabaret performer and film actress, Edith Piaf is considered to be France's national chanteuse, and one of the country's most-recognized international stars.^[3] She was born as Edith Giovanna Gassion on 19 December 1915 at Tenon hospital (5, rue de la Chine) in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, to Annetta (Maillard) Gassion, a cabaret singer, and Louis-Alphonse Gassion, an acrobat and cabaret performer. Her parents' address was at 72 rue de Belleville.^[4]

Edith's mother left her to the care of her own mother, Emma Saïd Ben Mohammed, a cabaret singer, in Paris. When Edith's father enlisted in the French Army in 1916, he took her to his mother, Léontine Louise Descamps (1860–1937), known as Maman Tine, who ran a brothel in Bernay, Normandie. There, the half-dozen local prostitutes helped look after the baby. At about 3 years old, little Edith's eyesight failed, a result of an untended keratitis or pink-eye infection. She was virtually blind for nearly 4 years until her grandmother and her "girls" took the child to the nearby shrine of Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux, where she was "miraculously cured" in about 1922. Perhaps the nuns also prescribed better eye hygiene...

Edith returned to Paris shortly thereafter, passed on to a disinterested aunt. Her education was non-existent and her childhood was spend in poverty and squalor in the poor Belleville section of Paris. As a child she earned a pittance by begging in the streets of Montmartre, where she sometimes also slept. In 1929, at 14 years old, her father added her to his acrobatic circus performance act and they traveled the French countryside together. She began singing in public and soon impressed audiences with her unique & mature musical sound.

The following year, back in Paris, she met Simone "Mômone" Berteaut, thought to be her half-sister, who became her close companion for many years. They had a duo singing and cabaret act in Paris' Pigalle (Red Light) district and lived together in a small, rented hotel room. It was there, in 1932, that Piaf conceived a love child, Marcelle Gassion, with Louis Dupont, an ardent admirer, who tried to take her away from the streets & bui-bui cabaret life. He failed and her only child, born in February 1933, died two years later.

In 1935, she was noticed by nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club, Le Gerny's, located near the Champs-Élysées, was popular with an upscale Parisian crowd. He put her to work singing regularly in his club, christening her with the nickname La Môme Piaf (French for "Little Sparrow"), which became her sobriquet for life . Her nightclub gigs led to her first two records, both produced in 1935. One record featured lyricist Marguerite Monnot, whose songs about hard times struck a popular chord. She remained one of Edith's favorite song-writers.

Unfortunately, some of Edith's Pigalle low-life connections held a grudge against Louis, in part for taking the instantly-popular "little sparrow" from her nest in Pigalle (where she was making them money). On 6 April 1936, Louis Leplée was murdered and Piaf was initially accused of being an accessory but she was acquitted of any wrong-doing. She hired Raymond Asso, a lyricist who became her lover, and he and Marguerite Monnot created a series of popular songs highlighting Edith's difficult "life on the streets" that became her credo.

World War II broke out and German troops occupied Paris. Piaf was in high demand, especially after artist and friend, Jean Cocteau, starred her in his one-act play, Le Bel Indifferent (1940). She sang with Maurice Chevalier and had a publicized love-affair with rising singing star, Yves Montand. Although accused of wartime Collaboration in 1945, she escaped post-war condemnation.

Edith Piaf became an international celebrity and renowned musical star in the post-war era. She toured Europe, the USA and South America, notably Argentina. Although her simple black-dress, solo spotlight, singing act was not in keeping with Hollywood's musical extravaganzas, she caught the eye of New York critic, Virgil Thompson, whose approval opened Television's Ed Sullivan show to her and helped her win 2 appearances at Carnegie Hall in 1956-1957.

Edith Piaf married twice, first on 20 September 1952 in New York City, to French singer Jacques Pills. The marriage ended in divorce in 1957.^[5] Her second marriage was to Theophanis Samboukas, known as Théo Sarapo, a Greek-born actor and singer. They were married on 9 October 1952 in the 16th arrondissement of Paris^[6]

In France she helped Charles Aznavour launch his glittering career and scored half-a-dozen sold-out, recorded, appearances at Paris' Olympia Theater, from 1955 right up until her nonstop performances, at least 2 near-fatal automobile crashes, with resultant addictions to alcohol and pain-killers, led to liver failure, causing her death of an aneurysm in her villa in Plascassier, a district of Grasse, on the French Riviera, on the evening of 10 October 1963.

Edith Piaf was just 47 years old when she passed, leaving France heart-broken. Her body was clandestinely - and illegally - driven bach to Paris in the night, and registered thanks to a postdated certificate made by her doctor. Her death is officially recorded as having taken place at her home, 67 boulevard Lannes in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, on 11 October 1963.^[7] Her life-long friend, Jean Cocteau, died 7 hours later on 11 October 1963.

Denied a national funeral at Notre Dame Cathedral by the Archbishop of Paris, due to her promiscuous lifestyle, many lovers, and divorce, she was laid to rest in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where some 100,000 bereaved fans mobbed her tomb as she was buried. ^[8] She is buried next to her daughter, Marcelle, and her father and 2nd husband are also buried in her tomb at Père Lachaise in Paris. Famille Gassion-Piaf is the name engraved on the foot of her tombstone. On its side is engraved: Madame Lamboukas, dite Édith Piaf.

Sources

1. ↑ WikiTree Profile Gassion-2 was created by Veronica Williams 15:31, 26 April 2014 (EDT).
2. ↑ Edith Piaf's life was researched and this profile's biography written by life-long fan, Chet Snow on 10 October 2019, on the 56th anniversary of her passing. Reposez en paix, petite Môme Piaf.
3. ↑ Edith Piaf article on Wikipedia, accessed 27 Apr 2014; 10 Oct 2019
4. ↑ Acte de naissance: Acte 2431, Naissances 1915 Paris XXème, Archives de Paris cote 20N 302 du 11 décembre 1915 (acte n° 2372) au 29 décembre 1915 (acte n° 2499) vue 10, consulté le 30 mars 2020
5. ↑ Acte de naissance n°2431, Naissances, 1915, Paris XX. Mariage transcrit au Consulat Général de France à New York le 27 septembre 1952, rapporté en marge de l'acte de naissance le 28 octobre 1952. Divorce prononcé par jugement du Tribunal civil de la Seine le 15 mai 1957, transcrit à la mairie du 16ème arrondissement le 9 septembre 1957, rapporté en marge de l'acte de naissance le 13 février 1958
6. ↑ Acte de naissance n°2431, Naissances, 1915, Paris XX. Mention marginale du 26 octobre 1962
7. ↑ Acte de décès: Acte 1457, Décès 1963 Paris XVIème, Archives de Paris cote 16D 217 du 10 septembre 1963 (acte n° 1291) au 6 novembre 1963 (acte n° 1591) vue 17, consulté le 30 mars 2020
8. ↑ Contributeurs de Wikipédia, "Édith Piaf," Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre, https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C3%89dith_Piaf&oldid=168901654 (Page consultée le 30 mars 2020)

• Edith Piaf article on Wikipedia, accessed 27 Apr 2014; 10 Oct 2019 This comprehensive article has 39 footnotes and lists her many films, records and CDs.
• Wikidata: Item Q1631
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 October 2019), memorial page for Édith Piaf (19 Dec 1915–10 Oct 1963), Find A Grave: Memorial #1334, citing Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France ; Maintained by Find A Grave .