Part 2

At the outset of 1950, in Paris's Salle Pleyel, she sang "L'Hymne a l'Amour" in Cerdan's memory. After doing a new show at the ABC in the spring, she recorded several of her songs in English. She began a relationship with Eddie Constantine, and in 1951 returned to theatre in "la Petit Lili" at the ABC. Two cyclists, Andre Poussé and Toto Gérardin, found a place in her heart, replacing her handsome American in Paris. In recording "Je Hais les Dimanches", offered her by a still little-known Charles Aznavour, Edith was attempting to take the man over, but in vain. She returned to the studios to record "Jezebel", adapted by Aznavour. At the end of the year she appeared at the ABC prior to filming "Paris chante toujours".

In 1952 she married singer-composer Jacques Pills and recorded other pieces destined for posterity such as "Je t'ai dans la Peau", co-written by Pills and his pianist, a man by the name of Gilbert Bécaud. Just before leaving for New York, where she went through a second marriage ceremony with Pills, she filmed "Boum sur Paris". In 1953 she sang at the Copa City Night in Miami. When she returned to Paris in July, Gilbert Bécaud brought her songs. She recorded "Les Amants de Venise", "Bravo pour le Clown" and "Les Croix". In early 1954 she recorded a future classic, "La Goualante du Pauvre Jean", and appeared at the Alhambra and the Bobino. In the spring she took part in the Sacha Guitry film "Si Versailles m'était conté", in which she sang "Ca ira". She then played in a revival of "Le Bell Indifférent" with Jacques Pills at the Marigny Theatre. In the autumn she was back in the studios, and among a number of songs she recorded was "Sous le ciel de Paris". Her repertoire now oscillated between intensely emotional songs and lighter, more sentimental material. In early 1955 she played the Olympia Theatre for the first time, and by September was back in New York, after a three year absence, appearing at Versailles. She then moved onto Havana and Mexico.

At the end of the very cold winter of 1956, she recorded "Les Amants d'un Jour" and "L'Homme a la Moto". By the time Summer came round, she had already played two sell-out houses at the Olympia. She then headed back across the Atlantic and spent 11 months touring America from north to south. Among the venues were the Constitution Hall in Washington and the Carnegie Hall in New York, and she experienced the satisfaction of receiving a seven minutes standing ovation. At the end of 1956 she played in the film "Les Amants de Demain" and recorded "La Foule". In 1958, her repeated recent success enabled her to sail through a three-month run at the Olympia with Felix Martin. Martin inspired her to record "Mon Manege a moi", but no sooner had she helped launch him than she left him for a young American painter, Douglas Davies, for a romance that lasted the time of a single canvas.

In the late spring of 1959 Edith recorded Georges Moustaki's "Milord", her first big success in the English hit-parade. It also made third place in Italy and reached the number one spots in Germany and Holland. At the end of the year she set of with Moustaki for New York, when she collapsed on-stage at the Waldorf Astoria. Yet once back in France she again set out on tour. In 1960 Charles Dumont, whom Edith had long ignored, came to her with "Non, je ne regrette rien", a song that quickly became a big hit throughout Europe. Number one in Holland, number one in Italy. In late 1960 she followed up with "Mon Dieu", another historic song. These Dumont-penned hits opened the way to a four-month run at the Olympia, the show continuing through until the spring of 1961. This latest triumph was based on Dumont's songs, but she also recorded "Exodus" for the sound-track of the film of the same name. And before the summer, a future hit was on the way: "Les Amants".

During the following winter, Edith met Théo Sarapo, who gave her energy to start working again. They married in the autumn of 1962. During the period of engagement they recorded "A quoi ca sert l'Amour" and appeared at the Olympia shortly after. The close of winter 1963 found them at the Bobino, but Edith was now weary and by the spring had bee hospitalized. That summer Théo took her to the Riviera to convalesce, but she suffered a relapse and was again hospitalized. When she died, in secret, during the early hours of 11 October 1963 her eyes moist with tears, Sarapo headed for Paris by car with her corpse. Edith Piaf was buried in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery on 14 October.

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