December 19, 1915 – October 11, 1963
“Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for.” – Édith Piaf
Édith Giovanna Gassion was raised in a brothel in Normandy, France. Things got better from there…slowly. She joined her father as a street peformer at the age of 14 and began singing for money on the outskirts of Paris. She fell in love, continued to sing on the streets and had a daughter. She was a terrible mother. Her daughter died at the age of 2 in the hotel where they were living. It gets better, it really does. At the age of 19, Édith was discovered by a Paris nightclub owner and began singing “professionally” in said nightclub. The owner, of course, was promptly murdered, but not before Édith was able to record a couple of songs and begin making decisions for herself. Under new management, she began performing as Édith Piaf (piaf means “sparrow” in case you were wondering) and eventually went on to become one of France’s greatest performers. Continue reading
Celebrity Graveland 