Three Years of Celebrating Aznavour's Birthday Without Him: Charles Would Have Turned 97 Today

The world-renowned French-Armenian chansonnier Charles Aznavour's 97th anniversary was commemorated in a ceremonial event in the French capital, Paris, where his bust was unveiled. "For Paris and for all people, this is a very important day. It is a great honor for me to be here today and to participate in this ceremony and to unveil the bust of Charles Aznavour," said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, as reported by the Aznavour Foundation's Facebook page.

“This work was created by Armenian sculptor Alis Melikyan. My father was known in Paris and throughout the world during his entire life; he always continued to be a representative of French culture,” noted the chansonnier's son and head of the Aznavour Foundation, Nicolas Aznavour. The event was also attended by Aznavour’s sister, Aida Aznavour, as well as Nicolas's wife, Kristina Sarkisyan.

Famed French-Armenian chansonnier, singer, songwriter, film actor, and public figure Charles Aznavour was born on May 22, 1924, in Paris. From 1995 onwards, he represented Armenia in numerous international diplomatic arenas. In 2008, Aznavour acquired Armenian citizenship, and from May 2009, he served as Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and the permanent representative of Armenia to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva. He passed away on October 1, 2018.