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Charles Aznavour was an incredible idol.
He was only 5 feet 3 inches (1.6 m) and was almost 50 years old before making his first shot in Britain.
During his 80-year career, he has written more than 1,200 songs, including the most famous rippers.
And he was congratulated in his native country, where he was nicknamed the Frenchman Frank Sinatra.
Varenagh Aznavourian was born in Paris in May 1924, son of Armenian immigrants who had fled persecution in Turkey and temporarily staying in the French capital while waiting for a US visa.
Forced by lack of money to drop out of school at the age of nine, he was determined to be an artist and at age 11 he was playing children roles at the Marigny Theater.
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He had a long career as a film actor, here at The Pianist's Shoot from 1960
In 1941, he joined another actor, Pierre Roche, to write songs. In a nine-year partnership, they write for Maurice Chevalier, Gilbert Becaud and Edith Piaf.
Her big break came when Piaf, who had admired her voice, invited her to accompany her on a tour, first from France and then from the United States.
With his encouragement, Aznavour embarks on a solo career in 1950 singing his own songs.
Multilingual
His theatrical performances have been described as the quintessence of French romance, but one critic wrote: "Making yourself available to the public with such a voice and such a physique is pure madness".
But the gloomy love songs of Aznavour, delivered by his squeaky tenor voice, were all the rage, and in 1955, success came with the song Sur Ma Vie.
In 1965, he opened the first of his one-man shows at Olympia Music Hall in Paris, singing 30 of his own songs.
Twiggy was one of the stars featured on his BBC show
His first success in Britain was The Old-Fashioned Way in 1973, followed by Elle in 1975.
His linguistic ability – he could sing in more than six languages - made him popular all over the world.
His success, including worldwide sales of more than 180 million records, has brought wealth and he has lived in Switzerland for many years.
Armenian earthquake
In 1977, a French court imposed a fine of approximately £ 1 million ($ 1.3 million), with a one-year suspended sentence, for tax evasion and monetary offenses.
The following year, he was sentenced to pay arrears of 1 million pounds.
Aznavour has combined singing with his acting career and has appeared in more than 60 films. In 1982, he performed as a troubled composer in the film Edith and Marcel, based on Piaf's novel with a boxer.
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He was still playing in his nineties
In 1988, in response to the earthquake in Armenia, he created his own charity to help the victims. He composed a song featuring a series of great French artists and was at the top of the charts for more than four months.
"What is important for Armenia," he said once, "is important to us".
He took a deep interest in politics. In the 1992 French presidential election, he encouraged people to sing La Marseillaise in public to protest against the right-wing candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who had gone to the second round.
He also campaigned vigorously for an extension of copyright to protect the work of artists, writers and composers.
Aznavour did not have a beautiful voice, nor did he look like a movie star, but he possessed an immense talent for writing songs associated with a hypnotic presence on the stage.
With Piaf and Chevalier, he was one of the biggest stars of French singing.
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