Charles Aznavour, one of France’s best known chanteurs has died aged 94. He composed more than 1000 songs, sold 100 millions records and acted in 80 films. Although regarded as light entertainment his songs dwelt on despair, domestic strife, rape, homosexuality and were on occasion so risqué they were banned from radio play. He always regarded himself as a taboo-breaker.
Born 22 May 1924 12.15 am Paris into a theatrical family of Armenian immigrants, he left school at 9 and started performing. He was helped by Edith Piaf in his twenties, who took him on tour with her in France and to the USA. Despite his diminutive size of just over five foot and his throaty voice, which weren’t deemed promising, he eventually became a global success.
He had an unaspected 4th house Gemini Sun (often a popular singer’s sign) with an emotionally intense Venus Pluto in Cancer opposition a Capricorn Moon. His musical Neptune unlike his Sun was well integrated in his chart being in a dreamy trine to Jupiter in adventurous Sagittarius, as well as in a showbiz opposition to Mars square Mercury in Taurus and opposition his midheaven. An unaspectd Sun would make him independent, an island-unto-himself, fairly aloof. His unaspected Saturn would give him a tendency to float through life.
He was giving concerts well into his nineties and intended to go on to 100.
It’s not a notably ambitious chart but his creative 7th Harmonic (septiles) was strongly aspected; and his ‘super star’ 22nd also.
His own people were persecuted and victims of genocide. He seemed a complex man. RIP.
Worth to note he was born just a couple of years after Yegher, and his mother’s family was from Smyrna, and annihilated. Unaspectected 4th Sun does speak of very deep roots that are somehow disconnected from one’s life. His family did help Jews and other oersecuted people during Occupation, though.