“Exotic chanteuse” Gloria Lasso died yesterday (Dec. 4) at Cuernavaca in Mexico, aged 83.
Lasso was one of France’s most popular singers and performers of the 1950s. Her 1956 song “Etranger au Paradis” was the first single to sell more than a million units in France.
Other hits include “Hola que tal” (1954), “Amour, Castagnettes et Tango” (1955), “Toi mon Démon” (1956), “Buenas Noches mi Amor” (1957), “Bon voyage” (1958), “Sois pas Faché” (1959), “Muchas Gracias” and “Si tu Reviens un Jour” (1960).
Born Gloria Goscolin-Figueira on Nov. 25, 1922 in Barcelona, Spain, she emigrated to France in 1954 where she started her music-hall career. With her Spanish background, she became known as much for her exotic songs as for her numerous weddings — she married six times.
Her career ended in the early 1960s, when she was supplanted by a new generation of artists. She moved to Mexico, where she has been living since, and pursued a singing career in Latin America. Suffering from ill-health, she performed her last concert seated two weeks ago in Mexico.
Lasso enjoyed a revival in France in the mid-1980s, culminating with a headlining concert at the Olympia venue in Paris. EMI released in 2004 the two-CD compilation, “Du Moment Qu’on S’aime,” featuring her main hits.
A funeral will take place tomorrow at Cuernavaca.
