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Théo Sarapo

the second husband of the French singer Édith Piaf (1936-1970)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 17, 2026
Entity authorityQ1393800
Source-derived summary

Théophanis Lamboukas (Greek: Θεοφάνης Λαμπουκάς; 26 January 1936 – 28 August 1970), professionally known as Théo Sarapo (French: [teo saʁapo]), was a French singer and actor. He started his career as a hairstylist and was influenced by Édith Piaf, whom he married a year before her death in 1962, to become a singer.

Early life and career

Sarapo was born in Paris to Greek parents. He scored a hit with Édith Piaf in 1962 with the song "À quoi ça sert l'amour ?" (What Good Is Love?) and solo hits with "La maison qui ne chante plus" (The House Which No Longer Sings), and "Ce jour viendra" (That Day Will Come); its English-language version, "Our Day Will Come", was notably covered by Ruby & the Romantics and others.

When he began singing with Piaf, Sarapo's voice was rather nasal, but over the next few years his tone mellowed. His other hits included "La Ronde" (The Round) and "Nous n'étions pas pareils" (We Weren't Alike).

As an actor, Sarapo's best- known film was Judex, directed by Georges Franju, which was being filmed at the time of Piaf's death.

Relationship with Piaf

Sarapo was the second (and final) husband of Édith Piaf, and was twenty years her junior. Formerly a hairdresser, he was introduced to her by Claude Figus, Piaf's secretary. He married Piaf at the age of 26 in an Orthodox ceremony.

Editorial summary

“Théo Sarapo” enters the record as the second husband of the French singer Édith Piaf (1936-1970). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Théo, Sarapo and second can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA productive starting point for separating a subject’s documented career from later reputation and commemoration. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1936, 1970, 1962—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1936-01-26. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Théo, Sarapo and second.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Théo Sarapo” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Théo, Sarapo and second provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1393800. VIAF identifies the subject as 268767470. The Library of Congress control number is no2003119036. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1936, 1970 and 1962.

Critical limits

Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Théo Sarapo”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Théo Sarapo primary sources, Théo Sarapo archive and Théo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Théo Sarapo”?
  2. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
  3. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Théo Sarapo” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.