Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What moves me about Billie Holiday is not range or polish but the sheer ache she pressed into every phrase. Born in Philadelphia and gone at just 44, she sang as if confessing, and that bruised intimacy is something no technique can fake. The pile of posthumous honors, Grammy Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame entries stacked decades after her death, reads to me like a quiet indictment of a world that failed to cherish her in life. I keep returning to God Bless the Child, where defiance and fragility coexist. Lady Day carried dignity and loneliness in the same breath, and I revere her for it.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Billie Holiday
- Name (Japanese)
- ビリー・ホリデイ
- Reading
- びりー・ほりでい
- Born
- April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Rabbit
- Origin
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / songwriter / author / singer-songwriter / jazz singer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1987 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2011 National Women's Hall of Fame
- 1975 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 1977 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 1986 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1988 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 2004 Grammy Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | God Bless the Child | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Billie Holiday born?
April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959.
Where is Billie Holiday from?
Billie Holiday is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
What does Billie Holiday do?
Billie Holiday works as actor, songwriter, author, singer-songwriter, jazz singer.
What is Billie Holiday known for?
Notable works include God Bless the Child.
Actor — see all → · Songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.