Dalida.

Born in Cairo, Egypt on January 17, 1933, Dalida was raised as Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti in a devoutly Catholic Italian family. Her father Pietro Gigliotti and mother Giuseppina Gigliotti encouraged her early interest in music. In 1954, she won the title of Miss Egypt, which opened doors to acting and modeling, including work as Joan Collins’ stand-in for the 1955 film Land of the Pharaohs.

Dalida’s career took off after she moved to France in the 1950s, where she recorded hundreds of songs in multiple languages. She recorded 500 French songs, with 200 translated into Italian and 200 into other languages, selling more than 80 million records worldwide. In 1967, she participated in the Sanremo Festival with her lover Luigi Tenco, performing their duet Ciao amore ciao.

Her success earned her over 70 gold records, and she became the first singer to receive platinum and diamond discs in France. She was twice awarded the Oscar mondial du succès du disque, making her the only European singer to win it multiple times. She also ventured into acting, starring in the 1986 film The Sixth Day as Saddika.

Dalida’s personal life was marked by a series of tragic relationships. She married radio executive Lucien Morisse in 1956, but they divorced in 1961; Morisse later died by suicide in 1970. Her most devastating loss came in January 1967 when her lover Luigi Tenco shot himself in a hotel room after his song was eliminated from the Sanremo Festival. Dalida discovered his body and attempted suicide herself days later.

Later that year, she became pregnant by an Italian student named Lucio but chose to have an abortion, which left her infertile. She had a long relationship with Richard Chanfray from 1972 to 1981; Chanfray also died by suicide in 1983. She also lived with Jean Sobieski, father of actress Leelee Sobieski, in the 1960s.

Dalida’s impact on French and global music remains profound. In 1988, an Encyclopædia Universalis poll published in Le Monde ranked her as the second most influential personality in French society, behind only General Charles de Gaulle. She is celebrated as a gay icon in France and the Middle East, reflecting her appeal across diverse communities.

Posthumous honors include a commemorative coin minted by the Monnaie de Paris in 1987, a bust in Montmartre’s Place Dalida inaugurated in 1997, and a Google Doodle on what would have been her 86th birthday in 2019. She sold over 170 million albums worldwide, recorded over 500 songs, and received more than 70 gold records.