36 Facts About Dame Shirley Bassey

1. Dame Shirley Bassey was principal artiste at the Duke of Edinburgh's 80th birthday celebration in 2001.

2. Dame Shirley Bassey toured various theatres until she was noticed by the impresario Jack Hylton in 1955.

3. Dame Shirley Bassey signed a contract to sing in the touring variety show Memories of Jolson, a musical based on the life of Al Jolson in 1953.

4. Dame Shirley Bassey's was awarded France's top honour, the Legion d'Honneur, to signify her popularity and importance in the culture of France.

5. Dame Shirley Bassey's was invited to perform in 2002 at the Party at the Palace, a public celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

6. Dame Shirley Bassey has four grandsons through her surviving daughter, Sharon Novak.

7. Dame Shirley Bassey's performed at the 2013 Academy Awards on 24 February 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movie franchise.

8. Dame Shirley Bassey was one of the line-up of artists on 4 June 2012 who performed at the Queen's 60th Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace, singing "Diamonds Are Forever".

9. Dame Shirley Bassey's performed at the Classical Brit Awards in 2011, singing "Goldfinger" in tribute to John Barry.

10. Dame Shirley Bassey performed at a gala celebrating the 80th birthday of Mikhail Gorbachev on 30 March 2011.

11. Dame Shirley Bassey headlined at the BBC Electric Proms on 23 October 2009, in her only full live set of 2009.

12. Dame Shirley Bassey's was forced to pull out of the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute concert because of her illness.

13. Dame Shirley Bassey's was rushed to hospital in Monaco on 23 May 2008 to have an emergency operation on her stomach after complaining of abdominal pains.

14. Dame Shirley Bassey performed a 45-minute set at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival wearing a pink Julien Macdonald dress, and customised Wellington boots.

15. Dame Shirley Bassey's performed a concert in front of 10,000 people at the Bryn Terfel Faenol Festival in North Wales broadcast by BBC Wales.

16. Dame Shirley Bassey topped the bill at the 2005 Royal Variety Performance, introducing her new song "The Living Tree".

17. Dame Shirley Bassey celebrated 50 years in show business in 2003 with the release of the CD Thank You for the Years, which was another Top 20 album.

18. In 2001, Dame Shirley Bassey was principal artiste at the Duke of Edinburgh's 80th birthday celebration.

19. Dame Shirley Bassey played the Friday night at Henley Festival in 1984.

20. On 7 October 1998 in Egypt, Dame Shirley Bassey performed for a benefit at an open-air concert close to the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

21. Dame Shirley Bassey collaborated with Chris Rea in the film La Passione, appearing in the film as herself and releasing the single "'Disco' La Passione".

22. Dame Shirley Bassey provided vocals for Swiss artists Yello on "The Rhythm Divine", a song co-written by Scottish singer Billy Mackenzie.

23. Dame Shirley Bassey's recorded an album of James Bond themes, The Bond Collection in 1987, but was apparently unhappy with the results so she declined to release it.

24. Dame Shirley Bassey recorded an album entitled All by Myself and made a TV special for Thames Television called A Special Lady with guest Robert Goulet.

25. Dame Shirley Bassey closed out the decade with her third title theme for a Bond film, Moonraker.

26. In 1978, Dame Shirley Bassey pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly "after shouting abuse in the street and pushing a policeman".

27. Dame Shirley Bassey appeared on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, broadcast on Christmas Day in 1971.

28. Dame Shirley Bassey recorded several songs in Italian, some appearing on the album La vita.

29. Dame Shirley Bassey began to live as a tax exile in 1968, and was unable to work in Britain for almost two years.

30. Dame Shirley Bassey recorded a song for the next Bond film, Thunderball.

31. Dame Shirley Bassey enjoyed her only US Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1965 with the title song of the James Bond film, Goldfinger.

32. Dame Shirley Bassey appeared on the cover of Ebony magazine in 1963, and sang at a Washington gala celebrating President Kennedy's second year in office.

33. Dame Shirley Bassey made her American television debut on 13 November 1960, when she performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.

34. Dame Shirley Bassey recorded her first single, "Burn My Candle", released in February 1956, when she was 19.

35. In 1955, Dame Shirley Bassey toured various theatres until she was noticed by the impresario Jack Hylton.

36. In January 1959, Dame Shirley Bassey became the first Welsh person to gain a No 1 single.