Édith Piaf

Iconic French chanteuse Édith Piaf was nicknamed The Little Sparrow by Paris cabaret owner Louis Leplée, who first hired her in 1935. ∙ Her debut nightclub performance was backed by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and praised by singer/actor Maurice Chevalier. ∙ During the Nazi occupation of France in World War II, Piaf performed for Germans soldiers while secretly helping prisoners escape as part of the French Resistance. ∙ Her 1947 single “La vie en rose” became the signature song of her career and was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998. ∙ She dedicated her 1960 hit “Non, je ne regrette rien” to the French Foreign Legion, which adopted it as an anthem that’s still sung in parades. ∙ In 1982, Russian astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina named one of the minor planets she discovered, 3772 Piaf, after the singer. ∙ Piaf’s life story has been told in books, plays, and films, including 2007’s La Vie en Rose starring Marion Cotillard, whose performance won a Best Actress Oscar. ∙ In 2015, the 100th anniversary of her birth was marked with a 350-track box set, an exhibition in Paris, and a tribute show in New York City.