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Dalida was born Iolanda Gigliotti to middle-class parents in Cairo, Egypt. Her family was of Italian origin, her grandparents having emigrated at the turn of the century from Calabria. The middle child between two brothers, Orlando and Bruno (who would later in her career change his name to Orlando like his brother and become her manager). Dalida’s father was the principal violinist for the Cairo Opera. Dalida’s early life was spent in the district of Choubra, where she attended Catholic school.
In 1951, Dalida entered a beauty pageant, and shortly after began working as a model for a Cairo-based fashion house. In 1954, she entered the Miss Egypt pageant, and was awarded first prize. It was here she was spotted by French director Marc de Gastyne, and, much to the reluctance of her parents, she moved to Paris on Christmas Eve of the same year with the intention of pursuing a career in motion pictures. It was about this time she adopted the namesake Dalila, which was shortly thereafter changed to the more familiar Dalida.
Dalida performed in more than 10 languages including: French, Italian, Arabic, German, Spanish, Hebrew, English, Dutch, Japanese, and Greek.
On May 3, 1987 Dalida died as a result of an overdose of barbiturates, leaving a suicide note reading "Life has become unbearable ... Forgive me." Dalida is buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris, and a life-size statue of the singer stands outside her tomb.
Since her death, Dalida has become a cult figure to a new generation of fans. In 1988, The Encyclopedia Universalis commissioned a poll which was eventually published in daily newspaper Le Monde, the aim of which was to reveal personalities that had the greatest impact on French society. Dalida polled second, behind Général de Gaulle.
In 1997, the corner of the rues Girardon and Abreuvoir in the Butte Montmartre, Paris, was inaugurated as Place Dalida and a life-size bust to her memory was erected. In 1999, a 3-CD box-set compiling her greatest hits was released. In 2000, Dalida's longtime friend Charles Aznavour recorded the hit "De la scène à la Seine", a joyful song of her life in France, and in 2001, the French government honoured her memory with a postage stamp. In the same year, Universal Music Group released Dalida's early album releases in special-edition packaging, with all of the tracks digitally remastered. Her output has also been the subject of various remix albums. She sold a total of 170 million records from 1956 to 2006.
In 2005, her life was documented in the two-part TV film Dalida, which received mixed reviews. The lead role was portrayed by Sabrina Ferilli.
From May 11th through to September 2007, The Paris City Hall commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Dalida’s death with an exhibition of her outfits and previously unreleased photographs.

What do you know about this great singer? What are your favorite songs?