Despite numerous biographies, much of the truth of Piaf's life is unknown.[4] She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion[5] in Belleville, Paris. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72, but her birth certificate says that she was born on 19 December 1915 at the Hôpital Tenon, a hospital located in the 20th arrondissement.[6]
