2016-12-19 Mon

“Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose” –La Vie en Rose.

Edith Piaf also known as “The Little Sparrow” was a French cabaret singer, songwriter and actress. Born on the outskirts of Paris on 19th December 1915, she rose to International stardom in the late 1930s as a symbol of French passion and tenacity.

It is believed she was named Edith after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell, executed for helping Belgian soldiers escape German captivity. Her parents abandoned her shortly after her birth and she was taken care of first by her maternal grandmother, Emma and later by her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel. Piaf spent her youth performing on the streets; first with her father and later solo. During this period, she was forced to live with various relatives, in alleys and cheap hotels.

In 1935, Louis Leplee who owned a successful high-class nightclub – Le Gerny off the Champs-Elysees discovered her and persuaded her to sing for his nightclub. Her nervous energy and small stature (4feet 8 inches) were the inspiration behind her nickname “La Mome Piaf” or “The Little Sparrow”. She sang many songs, but “La Vie en rose” is considered her signature song. She began to have personal composers and eventually became the most famous French singer in the world.

With many illnesses gripping her during her lifetime, she died from liver failure on 10th October 1963. Despite being refused the Roman Catholic rite of burial by the archbishop of Paris due to her wild lifestyle, the entire city essentially shut down for her funeral. More than 100,000 people attended her burial at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Piaf remains the epitome of the French feel of heart, soul, style and passion; for many Piaf IS France.

This miniature sheet having a set of 4 stamps are the issue of Central African Republic Postage Stamps, released on 25th February 2013 under the theme of Music Stars. The sheet depicts Piaf in different postures and gestures while singing or playing various instruments.