Theo Sarapo

Born into a family of Greek origin in Paris on January 26, 1936, Théophánis Lamboukas took up singing in his youth, with a passion for Luis Mariano and Frank Sinatra. After joining his father's hairdressing salon, his career was interrupted by military service, which he spent in Algeria for almost three years. On his return, he met Édith Piaf, who appreciated the young singer's voice and encouraged him to pursue a career in music: he adopted the stage name Théo Sarapo (which means "I love you" in Greek). The duo began performing together, and married in 1962 in Paris. Quickly won over by their complementary voices, audiences flocked to the couple's performances, who toured internationally, performing hits such as "À Quoi Ça Sert L'Amour", written by Michel Emer. Sarapo records new songs, "Pour Qui Tu T'Prends", "Les Enfants De La Mode", "La Maison Qui Ne Chante Plus", released on 45-tours between 1962 and 1963, and appears on the silver screen, with director Georges Franju's Judex. Édith Piaf's illness forced them to cut back on touring, until October 10, 1963, when the singer died. After a long period of mourning, Théo Sarapo decided to return to the stage and to music. He recorded new albums, Les Espagnols (1964), La Ronde (1964), Ne M'Oubliez Pas (1965) and L'Âge Ingrat (1967), and made numerous television appearances. However, his career took a tragic turn in 1970, when a car accident on August 28 took his life. While a film in which he appeared as an actor, Le Condé, was released posthumously, Théo Sarapo was laid to rest in the Père Lachaise cemetery alongside Édith Piaf.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.