PARIS, France (Friends of Edith Piaf) - France has commemorated the 40th anniversaries of the death of singer Edith Piaf and writer Jean Cocteau. The occasion was marked by a string of cultural events including free Paris exhibitions in their honour.
Piaf was 47 when she died in 1963, having gained worldwide fame with La Vie en Rose, which remains among the top 10 French-language songs ever sold.
Cocteau was an artist, film-maker and designer as well as an acclaimed novelist. He died aged 74.
Cocteau's life is being celebrated with an exhibition at the Pompidou Centre, while Piaf is the subject of an anniversary display at the Paris town hall. France was still "wallowing in Piaf nostalgia".
Bernard Marchois, head of the Friends of Edith Piaf, who keeps 5,000 Piaf artefacts in his home, said: "She interpreted her life through her songs. People could identify with her in that way and she always sang of love."
