Dalida – Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti is a French singer of Italian origin.
She was born on January 17, 1933 in Cairo.
The singer’s pseudonym was is from the biblical name of Dalilah, whose role she played in the school theater.
In 1957 she appeared in Paris Olympia as the opening act for Charles Aznavour and in the same year Gilbert Bécaud. She started to record in several languages, also performing outside of France. She performed at Carnegie Hall in New York at the end of 1978. She remains one of the top-selling female recording artists with over 70 gold records, mostly in non-English speaking countries.
On the night of May 2, 1987, Dalida committed suicide, swallowing 120 sleeping pills and sipping whiskey. She left a note: “Life has become unbearable for me … Forgive me.” She was buried at the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris. Her gilt grave is decorated with a life-size statue.
In 1997, the corner of Girardon and Abreuvoir streets in Butte Montmartre in Paris was renamed Dalida Square. There, in the artist’s memory, a bust of a life-size was erected. Visitors to this bust may notice that her bosom is shinier than the rest of her. The legend has it that if you rub her bosom and make a wish you will find true love.