Lesser-Known Facts about Dalida on Her 30th Death Anniv.

People may come, people may go but their memories stay forever and remain in our minds. And this is exactly what happens with legends like Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, the so-called Dalida.

The late singer has been one of the most celebrated stars of world showbiz. With many successful songs and films in her career, the late star was allocated many awards for her immense contribution to art including the Bravos du music hall, the most prestigious music award in France, for the most popular singer in France presented by the French Minister of Information Roger Frey.

At a young age, the Italian-Egyptian girl developed an interest in acting due to her uncle's job as a projectionist for a local cinema, and often participated in school performances at the end of the semester, becoming a popular face in the Europan community in Egypt.

The late star made her debut as an actress in the Egyptian film A Glass and a Cigarette, directed by Niazi Mustapha in 1955--shot in the Valley of the Kings, in the tombs of the pharaohs.

Dalida, who was born in Shubra district, Cairo, in 1933, relocated to France in the 1950s, where she began performing in local coffee houses, where she was noticed by the renowned French director Jacques Paoli and other cinematographers, who gave her many significant roles in a range of French movies.

She performed a marvelous concert in the cabaret Le Drap d'Or on Champs-Élysées, where her powerful, dramatic vocal style caught the attention of Paoli, who asked her to join the La Villa d'Este, according to French magazines.

After a while, she stepped away from acting to focus on singing, collaborating often with her husband, Lucien Morris.

Her outstanding appearance on the well-known Italian show Canzonissima opened her up to a large fan base.

She presented five Top 10 hits in French charts, most notably "Ciao, ciao Bambina" and "Guitare et Tambourin"; both earning gold discs.

The pretty singer also frequently shared stages in Olympia with the French-American star Alain Delon, who was the most acclaimed star at that time.

In her home country Italy, RAI gave her Oscar di popolarità and Lupo d'Or awards for the best-selling musical artist of the year in the country. Those were actually her first two foreign awards that furthered her international recognition.

In 1987, Dalida committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates in France.