Heart-Wrenching Facts About Dalida, The Tragic Diva
Imagine a musician that was so successful that her music charted in multiple countries, was beloved by mass audiences and intellectuals alike, and whose career survived three decades of cultural shifts and changes in taste.
Very few musicians fit that description, but Dalida, one of the most successful French divas of all time, did all that and more.
Despite her talent, unbearable tragedies filled Dalida’s life…and it all eventually led to an end so dark, it’s unforgettable.
1. She Had Surprising Beginnings
Dalida’s beginnings foreshadowed her future as a star with incredible international appeal. On January 17, 1933, Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti—known to us as “Dalida”—was born to two Italian parents living in Cairo, Egypt.
Her mom was a seamstress and the family breadwinner. Her dad, on the other hand, held a job that gained Dalida’s family a surprising amount of social status within their little community.
2. She Had A Childhood Filled With Music
While Dalida’s mom brought in the cash, her dad’s job as the concertmaster of the Khedivial Opera House earned their family the admiration of her neighbors. Thanks to her parents, Dalida and her two brothers had a mostly idyllic childhood that exposed them to a good education and a love for music…until a family tragedy turned Dalida’s gentle father into a complete monster.
3. They Took Her Father
In 1940, WWII turned Dalida’s life completely upside-down. Allied forces took her father and some other Italian men from their homes, and sent them to the Fayed prison camp near Cairo.
For four years, young Dalida saw neither hide nor hair of her father and had practically zero knowledge of what went on inside the camp. Four years later, the Allies released Dalida’s father…and a year of horror began for Dalida.
4. She Endured A Living Nightmare
Whatever happened inside the prison completely changed Dalida’s dad. He was no longer the loving figure that she remembered. Instead, he was cold and cruel. According to Dalida, “
I hated him when he beat me, I hated him especially when he beat my mom and brothers.” Only 11 years old, she fervently wished for her father to disappear from her life forever. Well, be careful what you wish for…
