AlmaCOGANOne of the brightest stars of 1950s pop music and the most successful female recording artist of the decade, Alma Cogan was a British singer whose death on 26 October, 1966, at the age of 34, left the entertainment world reeling.
Her chart hits, which saw her dubbed 'The Girl with the Laugh in Her Voice', included 'Dreamboat', 'Bell Bottom Blues' and 'I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango'.
However she was also famous for her glamorous parties and countless designer dresses.
"My first impression of her was definitely frocks," recalled Cliff Richard. "I kept thinking, how many can this woman have?"
Alma Angela Cohen was born on 19 May, 1932, in the East End of London. The niece of a band leader, she was brought up on jazz music and began singing at tea dances in the capital at the age of only 11.
Her big break came in 1948 when EMI producer, Walter J. Ridley, spotted her in the chorus of 'High Button Shoes'. He subsequently signed her to the HMV label and she began singing on the BBC programme 'Take It From Here'.
'Bell Bottom Blues', her first chart hit, shot to number five on the British chart in 1954. Further success ensued with the songs 'I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango' and 'Dreamboat', and by the mid-1950s Ms Cogan was a star.
The turn of the 1950s saw her become the first British female singer to have her own television series, while her sense of humour, glamorous showbiz parties and luxurious collection of clothes also made her a gossip column favourite.
At the height of her fame, Ms Cogan played host to some of London's trendiest all-night parties at her Kensington High Street flat which she shared with her mother and sister. Guests often included members of her star-studded social circle, including the Beatles, Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor.
"Everybody would be there," said actor Lionel Blair. "Tommy Steele would be playing cards with her mother. The Beatles would pop up and Noel Coward too."
Later years saw the Jewish songbird become a fixture as a concert attraction but, by the mid-1960s and the advent of rock music, she was no longer a chart-topping star. However, she remained a much-loved icon and continued to tour.
In 1966 she was diagnosed with cancer and, just three weeks after being admitted to London's Middlesex Hospital, she died, at the age of 34.
Her final album, 'Alma', was released the following year.
Sir Paul McCartney famously wrote the first draft of 'Yesterday' at Ms Cogan's flat and she became the first woman to record it.
'Alma Cogan', a Whitbread Book Award-winning novel by Gordon Burn, was published in 1991.
A blue plaque commemorates her memory at her former Kensington residence.
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