- Her father, Georges Vartan, was Bulgarian from a long lineage of Bulgarian descent; her grandfather (his father) went to work outside Bulgaria, and temporarily changed the original family surname to "Vartanian" while abroad, because suffix -ian means "son of" in that country. Her mother, Ilona (Mayer), was of Hungarian Jewish background; she was the daughter of Rudolf Mayer, a prominent architect, and Roza Passlouchny.
- Is fluent in Bulgarian, French and English, and has sung in dozens of languages, including Spanish, Italian, Japonese and Chinese.
- Appeared at the Paris Olympia in early 1964, on the same bill as The Beatles - actually proving a bigger hit with the French audience, to the Beatles' surprise and upset. (The news that their new single "I Want To Hold Your Hand" had reached #1 in America boosted their spirits.)
- WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal and Child Health in the European Region. [2005-]
- Ex-mother-in-law of Estelle Lefébure.
- Carlos was her private secretary.
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