Edith Piaf was a popular Parisian singer, whose sentimental ballads caught the fancy of an enormous international audience. Born in 1915 to an impoverished acrobat, Edith Giovanna Gassion was in her father's troupe until she was 15. Free of paternal authority, she went to Paris and began working as a street and café singer. In 1935 she was discovered by a cabaret owner, Louis Leplee, who was responsible for her nickname, La Môme Piaf ("the kid sparrow") and her stage name, Edith Piaf. Her powerful voice and expressive style in songs such as "Non, Je ne Regrette Rien" and "La Vie en Rose" won her a wide and passionate following. In early 1963, Edith recorded her last song, "L'homme de Berlin." She died on October 11 of that year.