"The intimate, often harrowing life-story of one of the world's greatest singers. Jean Cocteau said of Edith Piaf that she was a nightingale, and that her singing reminded him more of the wind, the sun and the stars than the voice of a woman. Here was one of the top international singers of her day, popular around the world for such hits as 'Non, je ne regrette rien'. How was it possible for Piaf, 'the Kid Sparrow' from an obscure Parisian background, to rise to such heights?" "Margaret Crosland's definitive biography sheds new light on the phenomenon that was Piaf, enlarging on and in some cases correcting the half-truths provided by Piaf in her two autobiographies, The Wheel of Fortune and My Life. Piaf's rise to international stardom, her lifelong addiction to alcohol and drugs including morphine, and her many turbulent love affairs are documented, as are her friendships with such stars as Cocteau, Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Yves Montand and Charlie Chaplin. Crosland concludes with a moving description of her early death at the age of forty-seven, when some two million fans followed the funeral procession to Pere Lachaise cemetery."--Jacket.