- October 4, 2019
- Art
- Victoria Samarskaya
Few people knew her under the name Yolanda Gigliotti. The public loved the legendary singer under the pseudonym Dalida. The biography, personal life and cause of death of the star is the topic of our article. If you are not familiar with the work of one of the most beautiful performers of our time, whom no one will ever see aging and unattractive, just turn on her songs. And you will definitely want to know about her life.
Pages of Dalida's biography: childhood years
Yolanda was born into a poor Italian family, which went to Cairo (Egypt) for a better life. The girl’s love for music comes from her father, whose name was Pietro Gigliotti. He was a professional violinist. Mom's name was Giuseppina, she worked as a seamstress and was raising children, of whom there were three in the family. Everyone grew up in love and harmony. Yolanda was born in 1933, on January 17th. Giuseppina’s birth was so difficult, and the child was weakened, that the parents immediately decided to baptize the baby.
Despite this, at 10 months Yolanda developed an infection that affected her eyes. The girl had to undergo two operations, after which she began to have frequent headaches, she could not stand the dark and wore sunglasses. She also developed strabismus, which Yolanda was able to get rid of only at the age of 20 after surgery.
Dalida: the tragic fate of the musical diva of the 50s era
Yolanda, which is the real name of the singer, was born in Egypt. Her father was a violinist, and her mother was a seamstress. The family had three children, Yolanda was the youngest. Parents raised their children with love and care, despite the fact that they were not so rich. The girl was sick. At 10 months, she contracted a severe infection, after which complications appeared in her eyes. She underwent two difficult operations, and as a result she developed strabismus. Later, the singer corrected this defect. When her father died, the girl went to work to help her family. But by chance, she took part in the Miss Ondine competition, where she took second place. This was followed by the title "Miss Egypt". The girl appears on the covers of magazines and participates in photo shoots. Her fiancé, to whom she was engaged as a child, refuses the wedding. Considering everything that Yolanda did shameful.
The girl becomes a famous model and moves to Paris. There, she meets the young Alain Delon. And throughout their lives they are connected by warm friendship. Yolanda begins to practice singing. She has amazing vocal abilities that captivate music critics. Dalida gains enormous popularity. Many radio stations offer her to record songs. She actively tours, conquering France, Europe and the USA.
But in her personal life, Dalida was not as successful as on stage. In 1961, she married Lucien Morisse and received French citizenship. But an affair with a young Polish artist Jean Sobieski caused a divorce. Lucien could not forgive the betrayal.
She had many affairs, including with the famous star Luigi Tenco, who tragically passed away. In 1969, she began an affair with a married man, Arnaud Desjardins. Their affair lasted two years, and then the singer decided to stop everything.
She was experiencing severe depression. She had no children, and the chance of becoming a mother was getting further and further away from her. Then, she attempted suicide for the first time. However, Dalida was saved. Lucien, the singer's first husband, did not leave her side, devoting himself to caring for her. After a difficult emotional state, she began to have hearing problems, lost her voice, and had memory loss. However, the love and support of her fans helped her come to her senses. She went on tour again, and new songs appeared in her repertoire.
However, in 1986, her close friends Petro and Lucia died. She cannot cope with this pain; constant anxiety does not allow her to find peace. Dalida plunges into deep depression. And on May 2, 1987, the singer drank a lethal dose of sleeping pills and left this world. She was only 54 years old.
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Creative talent
The girl studied at a Catholic school, where she often participated in productions on religious themes. Already in her teens, she showed acting talent. However, after school, Yolanda went to work at a pharmaceutical factory because the family needed money. Pietro Gigliotti died when his daughter was only 12 years old. This is a sad page in Dalida's biography.
But the girl’s beauty did not go unnoticed; in 1951, Yolanda took second place in the Miss Ondine competition, and three years later, when she had already undergone eye surgery, she received the winner’s crown, becoming Miss Egypt. She was invited to work as a fashion model and act in films. The too revealing photo shoot in one of the glossy magazines did not please the parents of the guy Yolanda was going to marry. This upset the marriage, but allowed the girl to realize her talent in cinema. In 1954, she starred in “The Mask of the Pharaoh,” followed by other films, for which Yolanda took the pseudonym Delilah.
Moving to France
With her mother's permission, in 1954 Yolanda left for France, where she rented housing on the outskirts of Paris. She meets Alain Delon, then unknown to anyone, who saw in the girl an extraordinary personality and a devoted friend. Without waiting for an invitation to the cinema, Yolanda takes vocal lessons from Roland Berger. He developed her talent in music and singing, but in order to solve financial problems, Dalida (she changes one letter in her pseudonym) has to perform in various institutions, such as “Golden Cloth”, “U Karol”, “Villa d'Este”.
Everything changes when films with her participation, shot in Egypt, began to be shown in France. Dalida is invited to appear on television in one of the competitions, where she is noticed by Lucien Maurice, who holds the post of director of the Europe 1 radio station. From this moment we can talk about the biography of the singer Dalida, whose career is beginning to be pursued by such a famous person in Paris.
Musical career and creativity
Yolanda began working as a fashion model at the Lonna modeling agency, but soon realized that she would have to leave Egypt if she wanted to reach heights in show business.
In 1954, the girl won the Cairo beauty contest and moved to France to conquer Paris. This city was full of opportunities for the aspiring actress. But she faced refusals and lack of money. In addition, the Italian did not speak French well.
In the capital, Yolanda rented a small attic on Jean-Mermoz Street. Next door to her lived an aspiring actor who also went to screen tests to no avail. After 18 years, Yolanda met him again, but on the same stage. Their song "Paroles paroles" ("Words, words") became a hit. This actor was Alain Delon, who after Dalida’s death admitted to a romantic relationship with the singer.
Yolanda began her singing career in Paris at the Villa d'Este club. Visitors to the establishment nicknamed her “Black Orchid” because of her exotic appearance. Yolanda decided to take the creative pseudonym Delilah, in honor of the biblical beauty. After meeting screenwriter Albert Machar, Delilah, on his advice, changed one letter in her name. This is how a new star Dalida appeared.
The girl began taking vocal lessons and participated in music competitions. At one of them, she met the director of the Europe 1 radio station, Lucien Maurice, who opened her path to show business. Dalida's first song, which was a resounding success, was called "Bambino" ("Bambina"). Within a week, the composition took first place in the charts of European radio stations.
But in addition to rave reviews, there was a lot of criticism. The girl was accused of being vulgar, overweight and lacking taste. Dalida used the criticism to her advantage: she lightened her hair, lost weight to 51 kg, and began to watch her manners. Parisian women began to copy the singer, cut their hair and dress in her style.
On September 19, 1957, Dalida became the owner of the first Golden Disc - an award for performers whose recordings exceed 300,000. This is the first official recognition of the singer, after which the list of her awards was constantly replenished.
Among them:
- Music Hall Bravo Award;
- "Oscar" Radio Monte Carlo;
- Italian platinum Oscar and She-Golden Wolf;
- German "Golden Lion";
- world Oscar;
- platinum disc;
- medal of Paris;
- Medal of the President of the Republic;
- diamond disc;
- Canadian medal for talent and wisdom.
Dalida conquered the world, her concerts sold out in Europe, America, and Eastern countries. The girl believed that her mission was to give people happiness through her songs.
She has received many awards for her work.
Dalida gave her last concert in Turkey, attended by Turkish President Evren. Dalida herself did not like to remember about the concert in Antalya, because... she was confused by the technical side of the preparation. The plane with equipment and stage costumes did not fly to Turkey, but remained in Paris.
Such problems always made the singer nervous. The concert was delayed for several hours, but the audience did not leave. Dalida took the stage and performed her hits, including “To Die on Stage,” into which the woman put her soul. The recording of the farewell concert is kept in the archives of Turkish television.
First successes
The first disc (Madona) went unnoticed by listeners. On it, as evidenced by Dalida’s official biography, the songs were not original. They have already been performed by Gloria Lasso in Spanish. But in 1956, she performed a real hit - Bambino, which brought the singer unprecedented popularity. A record label immediately signed a contract with her, and by the end of the year about 300 thousand records were sold.
Dalida had her own fan club, and new hits were released one after another: Gondolier, Ciao, ciao Bambina, Come prima. Her fame goes beyond France, and in 1958 she tours triumphantly in the United States. Dalida is offered to stay in the country and make a dizzying career. But in 1959, on the wave of success, she chose to return to her homeland, performing triumphantly in Cairo.
Music
At first, life in a big city turned out to be difficult for the future singer. She had serious problems with work; there were no offers to act in films. The girl lived on the outskirts of Paris, in a house on Jean-Mermoz Street. By the will of fate, Alain Delon, unknown at that time, became Dalida’s neighbor, with whom he immediately developed excellent friendly relations. Later, the prototype of male beauty admitted that Dalida was a woman with a capital “W” for him and a true friend.
Dalida and Alain Delon
Yolanda decided to take up music; professor Roland Berger taught her singing lessons. This man was distinguished by a difficult character, strict life principles and incredible demands on his students. Berger recommended Dalida as a “cute” girl who could make great money on stage, but when he saw the aspiring singer and heard her voice, Roland was shocked. He advised Yolanda to take every chance, not to miss a single audition, because... I saw real talent in her.
Dalida on stage
Rare beauty, Dalida's enchanting vocal notes were noticed at the Villa d'Este club, where the girl gave her first engagement. After participating in a competition organized by Europe 1, the girl was invited for an interview by the director of the radio station and the owner of the recording company. She received an offer to record several songs. Dalida's first hit was the musical composition “Bambino” (1956), which achieved enormous success. This song was listened to even outside of France; the project entered the “Top 10” of the French hit parade and stayed there for 45 weeks. The singer's career took off sharply.
Dalida's photos were featured in glossy fashion magazines, and in 1958 she was invited to perform at a concert in America. Here, the already popular singer from France received an offer to build a career in the USA, but Yolanda decided to refuse.
Among the most successful and beloved songs by the people of many countries around the world were: “Little Man”, “Nostalgie”, “Password” (duet with Joe Dassin), “Salma”, etc.
Marriage
In Dalida's biography, husbands and beloved men played a fatal role. Three of them died of their own free will. The first husband was Lucien Maurice. When they met, the man was married. Probably, marriage after five years of relationship (in 1961) became a rather belated event. In Cannes, the singer meets young Jean Sobieski, a Polish artist. Passion arises between them. It will pass as quickly as it began, but the marriage will be destroyed.
By that time, Dalida had moved her family from Egypt to Paris. She buys a house in Montmartre, but is left alone in the face of the rather cruel world of show business. The singer gives a concert at Olympia and sings so that Maurice is forced to give his ex-wife a standing ovation. They will carry strong friendship through all the years, no matter what. When Dalida is in the hospital (more on that later), Maurice will carry her one rose every day and support her until the very end. In 1970, while married to someone else, he committed suicide. The cause will be a serious illness. Dalida will not be able to cancel the concert in Athens, but will dedicate it to the memory of Lucien. The world will perceive her as Maurice's widow.
The beginning of Dalida's acting career
She chose her acting pseudonym “Delilah”, and a few years later changed the last letter to “d”. The biblical seductress, in whose honor the pseudonym was chosen, deprived her lover of his power. Exactly the same situation happened in Dalida’s life. All 3 bright and significant meetings with men ended in their death. They committed suicide. Dalida herself will lose her taste for life and strength of spirit...
But all this will happen much later... but for now there is a promising, bright, happy life ahead in Paris, where Dalida has moved. Alas, all her letters of recommendation turned out to be of no use to anyone, she herself knocked on the doors of producers, but there were a lot of such young girls craving acting fame in Paris. Although Yolanda was disappointed by what she saw, she never lost faith in herself. “I have to hold out,” she convinced herself. She spoke French with difficulty, had no bearings in Paris, and missed her family very much.
Tragic love
In the mid-60s, Dalida finally won the hearts of the French. She accompanies the Tour de France, having traveled more than 20 thousand km with athletes. Performing in every city, she performs more than 2 thousand songs. The artist changes her image: from a burning brunette she first becomes a redhead, and then a blonde. The younger brother becomes her producer. It would seem that everything is wonderful in your personal life. Dalida's biography shows: in October 1966, she met Luigi Tenco, a young composer. A great and real feeling arises between them. In 1967, the singer presented his composition Ciao amore, ciao at the Sanremo festival.
Despite the fact that Dalida's performance was warmly received by the public, the song does not even make it to the finals. Luigi takes defeat hard and shoots himself in the head. The singer is so shocked by the death of her loved one that a month later, in the hotel where she was once so happy, she decides to commit suicide. She swallowed pills, and only the vigilance of the maid saves her life. Dalida spends 90 days in a coma, she develops necrosis of the tissues of her hands, and her voice disappears.
But there comes a time when, after recovery, Dalida reappears on the stage of Olympia. Fans lay out a real carpet of roses at her feet.
New novel
The artist is interested in philosophy, Buddhism, and serious literature. A producer, writer and traveler named Arnaud Desjardins accompanies the singer to India, Nepal, and highland Tibet. They carefully hide the relationship because their partner has a family. After some time, there were personal changes in Dalida’s biography. She decides to leave so as not to destroy Desjardins' marriage.
From the stage she performs songs that she herself wants to sing. And this is accepted by the public. Dalida is one of the first to bring disco style to the stage. And in 1972 she falls in love again.
The object of her passion is Richard Chamfrey, an artist. Despite the nature of an adventurer, he makes the singer happy. She dreamed of living with Chamfrey until the end of her days, but after 9 years they break up. And in 1983, Dalida learns about the death of her loved one. He is found dead in a car with his girlfriend, both of them from carbon monoxide poisoning.
At the peak of glory
The singer is saved by work. In the 80s she is at the peak of her fame. In 1981, she recorded one of the most famous duets with Alain Delon - Paroles, paroles. They were not the first performers of the composition, but it was thanks to them that the song became a worldwide hit. And what is the performance of Gigi L'amorosco worth! 7.5 minutes is perceived in one breath. But already in 1985, the first bells of an impending tragedy rang out.
Dalida's problems with her eyes are again worsening; she cannot perform due to the bright light of the spotlights and is forced to go under the surgeon's knife again. A year later, Dalida, whose biography is still interesting to her fans, starred in a film called “The Sixth Day.” Finally, real success comes to her in the field of cinema.
Star
Photo: Pinterest
But Dalida categorically refused to work in America. She returned to her native Cairo in triumph. And then she married a Frenchman, received French citizenship... Alas, she met another man on tour. There were many tours, they even gave him the title “Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.” She sang along with San Remo with Luigi Tenco - the song, alas, did not make it to the finals, and Luigi himself shot himself out of grief... Dalida found the body, and out of shock she took poison. But they pumped her out, although she lost her voice for some time, and necrosis began on her legs, so they had to have skin transplanted...
But then there was the medal of the city of Paris, the Medal of the President of the Republic from Charles de Gaulle himself... A joint song with Alain Delon - the same famous “Paroles, paroles”, about which Galkin once, recalls JoeInfoMedia journalist Diana Lynn, joked: “flogged, flogged , flogged and unflogged”... And many other famous songs.
Biography of Dalida: cause of death
1987 was the year of severe depression for the singer, who gained worldwide fame. She is tormented by pain, she suffers from fatal loneliness and does not believe in new love. She is saddened by the loss of beauty, the absence of children. After participating in the Mitterrand presidential election campaign, Dalida loses friends who did not accept her step.
On May 3, at the age of 54, the singer takes a dose of sleeping pills that is incompatible with life, leaving dying lines that life has become unbearable for her, and asks to forgive her... Thousands of admirers of her talent gathered at the funeral on May 7, many of whom perceived the death of the star as personal grief. Dalida is buried in Montmartre, her grave is still constantly buried in flowers.
Alain Delon suggested that Dalida had severe pain due to cancer, so the singer decided to stop suffering. The brother spoke of the moral exhaustion of a woman who had so tragically lost her three most beloved men. In total, she is credited with 8 serious novels.
Many say that her pseudonym played a fatal role in the singer’s fate. Samson once died because of Delilah. This was the artist’s first stage name.
Some sources talk about Dalida's alcohol abuse. This is not true. The myth was born due to the stunningly truthful performance of the song Je suis malade. Dalida's biography is full of tragedy, but once you listen to her songs, it is impossible to forget them.
