Dalida Pop star Date of Birth: 17.01.1933 Country: France

Biography of Dalida

Dalida, born Yolanda Gigliotti in 1933 in Italy, was a pop star known for her tragic life and successful career. Despite some misconceptions, she was not Egyptian but had an Italian father and a French mother. In her childhood, Yolanda suffered from a mild strabismus and was shy about her appearance. To overcome her shyness, she decided to participate in a beauty contest and ended up winning the title of "Miss Egypt" at the age of 16. This experience helped her gain confidence in her looks.

Yolanda quickly found work in one of the many Parisian cabarets, but her passion for serious fame and widespread recognition still haunted her. She decided to enter a competition for aspiring performers on the French radio station "Europa-1," where she caught the attention of Lucien Morris, the station's director. That same evening, Dalida signed a contract with the record label "Barclay," which would soon release several of her albums.

In 1966, Dalida experienced a great love when she met Luigi Tenco, an Italian singer-songwriter. They performed together at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival in 1967, but their duet was unsuccessful. Devastated by their failure, Luigi tragically took his own life shortly after their performance. Overwhelmed by grief, Dalida also contemplated suicide, but she eventually found solace in her music.

Despite her personal struggles, Dalida continued to achieve success in her career. In 1971, she won the press prize at a festival in Romania, marking a turning point in her life. She also found stability in her personal life when she married Richard Chanfray, an adventurer and mystic who believed he was the reincarnation of Count Saint-Germain. They were married for seven years before peacefully divorcing. However, three years later, Chanfray tragically hanged himself in their country house.

Dalida experienced immense sorrow throughout her life, often battling depression and turning to alcohol and drugs. Her creative career suffered, but she still managed to release albums and perform. She longed to have children but was unable to conceive. In her final years, she lived alone in her mansion in Montmartre, Paris, with the help of her dwarf companions, Petro and Lucia.

The deaths of Petro and Lucia in 1987 pushed Dalida to her breaking point. That same year, at the age of 54, she ended her life by suicide. Dalida left behind a lasting legacy as an exceptional artist, selling over 100 million records and recording more than a thousand songs in nine different languages. She was particularly known for her renditions of French, Italian, and Latin American songs. Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding her life, Dalida's talent and impact on the music industry continue to be recognized. She received special recognition from French President Charles de Gaulle, and she became the third woman to have a monument dedicated to her in Paris, following in the footsteps of Joan of Arc and Sarah Bernhardt. A square in the French capital was also named in her honor.