French singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour died on Monday at his home in Alpilles in southeastern France, his spokesperson told AFP. He was 94.
Aznavour, who was often called France’s Frank Sinatra, recorded more than 1,200 songs in several languages in an 80-year career, BBC reported. He had recently returned from a concert tour of Japan. Last year, he cancelled several shows after he broke his arm in a fall, AFP reported.
Aznavour was born in 1924 in Paris to Armenian parents who fled the country’s genocide to begin a new life in France. Aznavour got his big break when he opened for French star Edith Piaf after World War II. Aznavour married three times and had six children.
Aznavour sold more than 100 million records in 80 countries. He is best known for his 1974 song She, a hit in the United Kingdom, which was also recorded in French, German, Italian and Spanish. The song was covered by Elvis Costello for the soundtrack to the 1999 Hollywood film Notting Hill. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
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