CHARLES AZNAVOUR CELEBRATES HIS 85 ANNIVERSARY

Panorama.am
12:52 22/05/2009

World wide famous singer Charles Aznavour celebrates his 85th
anniversary today. Charles Aznavour (Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian),
is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and
diplomat. Besides being one of France’s and Armenia’s most popular
and enduring singers, he is also one of the most well-known singers
in the world.

Aznavour was born in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrants Michael
Aznavourian and Knar Bagdasarian. His artistic parents introduced him
to the world of theatre at an early age. He dropped out of school at
the age of nine, already aspiring to the life of an artist. He began
to perform at this time, and soon took the stage name "Aznavour".

He is known for his characteristic short figure and unique tenor voice;
clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravely and profound low
notes. He has appeared in more than 60 movies, composed about 1,000
songs and sold well over 100 million records.

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was chosen as Entertainer of the Century by
CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized
as the century’s outstanding performer.

In 2009 he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as
well as Armenia’s permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.