Edith Piaf was a French singer. She is considered the greatest icon of French popular music. Albeit her short physical stature, audiences the world over were amazed by her powerful vocals. Her music embodied the wretched life of the streets of Paris and was highly sentimental and passionate. Steeped in poverty and abandoned by her mother, she grew up with her grandparents until her father made her a part of his acrobatic show. She had to earn her living singing on the streets of Paris. She was discovered by Louis Leplee who groomed her into a night-club singer. After he was murdered, she recruited Raymond Asso who gave her an image makeover and the basic education. She had an endless stream of lovers. After cementing her place in the world of music, she took upcoming musicians under her wings and groomed them. She was not formally educated, yet managed to pen the lyrics of quite a few of her songs. In spite of making it big in the world of music, she continued to suffer psychologically. She became addicted to morphine and alcohol, following a series of near-fatal accidents. Even today she continues to be heard by music lovers all over the world.