Lolo Ferrari
Encyclopedia
Lolo Ferrari, born Eve Valois (9 February 1963 – March 5, 2000), was a French
dancer, sex star, pornographic actress, actress and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breast
s in the world" though their size was artificially achieved.
She entered the international limelight in 1995 and appeared in the French
Guinness Book of World Records in 1996 and again in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999. Her death in 2000 was initially ruled a suicide, but suspicions remained that her husband may have been involved. He was cleared in 2007.
, Puy-de-Dôme
, France
, Eve Valois was raised in the resort town of La Baule. She often talked about an unhappy childhood, with her father absent and her mother disliking her. As a teenager, she obtained a few modelling
jobs.
In 1988, she married Eric Vigne
, a former drug dealer 15 years her senior who had just been released from prison. She then started to work as a model with her husband as manager. She also worked as a prostitute and her husband was arrested for being her pimp.
, and as a result of her many surgeries she suffered from a number of medical afflictions and lived with a heavy regimen of drugs. Her brassiere measurements
have been given by various sources as 58F, 54G, and 54J, although these measurements appear false, breasts of similar size have a bra size of around 36T or 36MMM. The breast implants themselves were reputed to be designed by an engineer who was involved with the design of the Boeing 747
.
In interviews, she said about her surgeries "All this stuff has been because I can't stand life. But it hasn't changed anything" and "I was frightened and I was ashamed; I wanted to change my face, my body, to transform myself. I wanted to die, really." Some psychologists have conjectured that she might have suffered from dysmorphophobia
.
"Lolo", from a French slang word for breasts, along with "Ferrari" as a last name, and made a few pornographic films. Use of the Ferrari name (which she justified since it was her maternal grandfather's name) led to lengthy trademark infringement court battles with the Italian
Ferrari automobile company
when she tried to market a line of underwear called Ferrari Underwear and a Lolo Ferrari doll.
In an effort to promote herself, she went with her husband to the Cannes Film Festival
in the summer of 1995. She won the "European large breasts championship" there, became a favorite of photographers, and entered the international limelight.
She acted in the Belgian movie Camping Cosmos
by Jan Bucquoy
and producer Francis De Smet
. She caused a sensation at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
with the presentation of the movie during a remake of the boxing match in Camping Cosmos between the European champion and the former opponent of Cassius Clay
(Jean-Pierre Coopman
).
She used her newly won publicity to obtain a regular role on the British
Channel 4
television show Eurotrash
. The media hype led to appearances on other European shows and work in cabaret shows doing a song and striptease
act. Hoping to launch a pop music career, she recorded two singles, titled "Airbag Generation" and "Set Me Free", as well as two more singles, a Euro disco
cabaret song called "Dance Dance Dance", and a cover of Thelma Houston
's Euro disco hit, "Don't Leave Me This Way". Neither of the latter two songs was given a commercial release. However, Ferrari retained a cult-like following.
in the Alpes-Maritimes
département on the French Riviera
of undetermined causes. The original autopsy
determined that she had died of an overdose of antidepressants and tranquilizers. She had been depressed and her death was ruled a suicide. Her parents suspected that her husband was involved and achieved a second autopsy two years later. This second autopsy found that mechanically induced suffocation
could not be ruled out. Her widower was suspected of causing her death, was arrested, and spent 13 months in prison. After a second medical analysis, he was finally cleared of the charges in 2007.
When Channel 4 broadcast Ferrari's obituary on Eurotrash
, it was transmitted with straight dubbing as a mark of respect (Eurotrash' s dubbing is normally campy, often playing it for laughs to get around the censorship regulations). In 2005 the station broadcast a documentary about her life, with interviews of her, her husband, her mother and her plastic surgeon.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
dancer, sex star, pornographic actress, actress and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
s in the world" though their size was artificially achieved.
She entered the international limelight in 1995 and appeared in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Guinness Book of World Records in 1996 and again in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999. Her death in 2000 was initially ruled a suicide, but suspicions remained that her husband may have been involved. He was cleared in 2007.
Background
Born in Clermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Eve Valois was raised in the resort town of La Baule. She often talked about an unhappy childhood, with her father absent and her mother disliking her. As a teenager, she obtained a few modelling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
jobs.
In 1988, she married Eric Vigne
Eric Vigne
Eric Vigne , a convicted drug trafficker, is the widower of Lolo Ferrari. He was placed in pre-trial detention in February 2002 for suspicion of murder of Ferrari, who died in March 2000. In November 2002, a court in Aix-en-Provence, France, decided there was enough evidence to place him on trial...
, a former drug dealer 15 years her senior who had just been released from prison. She then started to work as a model with her husband as manager. She also worked as a prostitute and her husband was arrested for being her pimp.
Breast enlargements
Encouraged by her husband, beginning in 1990 Eve underwent numerous plastic surgery operations to create a 180 centimetres (70.9 in) silicone-enhanced bust (Miss Valois was originally a 37 inch bust) (22 enlargements, a Guinness world record). The Guinness Book of Records says each of her breasts weighed 2.8 kilograms (6.2 lb) and contained three litres of saline. She had to wear a specially engineered brassiereBrassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
, and as a result of her many surgeries she suffered from a number of medical afflictions and lived with a heavy regimen of drugs. Her brassiere measurements
Brassiere measurements
Brassiere measurement refers to determining what size of bra a woman wears and mass producing bras that will fit most women....
have been given by various sources as 58F, 54G, and 54J, although these measurements appear false, breasts of similar size have a bra size of around 36T or 36MMM. The breast implants themselves were reputed to be designed by an engineer who was involved with the design of the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
.
In interviews, she said about her surgeries "All this stuff has been because I can't stand life. But it hasn't changed anything" and "I was frightened and I was ashamed; I wanted to change my face, my body, to transform myself. I wanted to die, really." Some psychologists have conjectured that she might have suffered from dysmorphophobia
Body dysmorphic disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a type of mental illness, a somatoform disorder, wherein the affected person is exclusively concerned with body image, manifested as excessive concern about and preoccupation with a perceived defect of his or her physical features...
.
Career
After the breast enlargements, she adopted the stage nameStage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
"Lolo", from a French slang word for breasts, along with "Ferrari" as a last name, and made a few pornographic films. Use of the Ferrari name (which she justified since it was her maternal grandfather's name) led to lengthy trademark infringement court battles with the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Ferrari automobile company
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
when she tried to market a line of underwear called Ferrari Underwear and a Lolo Ferrari doll.
In an effort to promote herself, she went with her husband to the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in the summer of 1995. She won the "European large breasts championship" there, became a favorite of photographers, and entered the international limelight.
She acted in the Belgian movie Camping Cosmos
Camping Cosmos
Camping Cosmos is a Belgian 1996 film, sequel to La Vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978, directed by Jan Bucquoy. It stars Claude Semal, Lolo Ferrari , Noël Godin , Herman Brusselmans and Arno ....
by Jan Bucquoy
Jan Bucquoy
Jan Bucquoy is an anarchist and author-filmmaker born in Harelbeke, Belgium who started as a theatre practitioner and who worked as a cartoon-scriptwriter.-Career:...
and producer Francis De Smet
Francis De Smet
Francis De Smet . PH. D. of Philosophy . Inventor: soundenhancing, Human intervention on the Internet. Film producer. Music supervisor for Transatlantic Films...
. She caused a sensation at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
with the presentation of the movie during a remake of the boxing match in Camping Cosmos between the European champion and the former opponent of Cassius Clay
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
(Jean-Pierre Coopman
Jean-Pierre Coopman
Jean-Pierre Coopman is a retired Belgian boxer who is best known for his title fight against Muhammad Ali in 1976, which Ali won by KO in round 5.-Early life:Coopman's first fully paid job was as a stone cutter....
).
She used her newly won publicity to obtain a regular role on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television show Eurotrash
Eurotrash (TV series)
Eurotrash is a 30-minute magazine-format programme in English produced by Rapido Television. It was shown in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 from 1993 and was a late-night comical review of weird and wonderful topics from around the world...
. The media hype led to appearances on other European shows and work in cabaret shows doing a song and striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
act. Hoping to launch a pop music career, she recorded two singles, titled "Airbag Generation" and "Set Me Free", as well as two more singles, a Euro disco
Euro disco
Euro disco is an all encompassing colloquial term used to describe a variety of European electronic dance music that first originated from disco in the 1970s; incorporating elements of pop, New Wave and rock into disco-like continuous dance atmosphere...
cabaret song called "Dance Dance Dance", and a cover of Thelma Houston
Thelma Houston
Thelma Houston is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1976 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.-Early life & career:Houston is the daughter of a cotton picking mother...
's Euro disco hit, "Don't Leave Me This Way". Neither of the latter two songs was given a commercial release. However, Ferrari retained a cult-like following.
Death
On the morning of March 5, 2000, at the age of 37, Ferrari was found dead by her husband at her home in GrasseGrasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
in the Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
département on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
of undetermined causes. The original autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
determined that she had died of an overdose of antidepressants and tranquilizers. She had been depressed and her death was ruled a suicide. Her parents suspected that her husband was involved and achieved a second autopsy two years later. This second autopsy found that mechanically induced suffocation
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
could not be ruled out. Her widower was suspected of causing her death, was arrested, and spent 13 months in prison. After a second medical analysis, he was finally cleared of the charges in 2007.
When Channel 4 broadcast Ferrari's obituary on Eurotrash
Eurotrash (TV series)
Eurotrash is a 30-minute magazine-format programme in English produced by Rapido Television. It was shown in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 from 1993 and was a late-night comical review of weird and wonderful topics from around the world...
, it was transmitted with straight dubbing as a mark of respect (Eurotrash
Filmography
- Big DD (1996)
- Camping CosmosCamping CosmosCamping Cosmos is a Belgian 1996 film, sequel to La Vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978, directed by Jan Bucquoy. It stars Claude Semal, Lolo Ferrari , Noël Godin , Herman Brusselmans and Arno ....
(1996) - Double Airbags (1996)
- Planet Boobs (1996)
- Lolo Ferrari Special - The Biggest Tits In The World (1997)
- Mega Tits 6 (1998)
- Le King de ces Dames (1999)
- Quasimodo d'El Paris (1999)
- Der Generalmanager oder How To Sell A Tit Wonder (Directed by Steffen JürgensSteffen JürgensSteffen Jürgens is a German actor and film director.- Life and work :After Jürgens studied at the German art college HBK Braunschweig, he went in 1997 to Ludwigsburg to continue his study at the Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg, where he focused on film direction. In 2003, Jürgens finished his...
(2006)
External links
- Lolo Ferrari at EGAFD
- Collection of newspaper articles about the life and death of Lolo Ferrari, as well as the legal aftermath
- Site of the movie Camping Cosmos
- Larger than life, obituary, The Guardian, 16 March 2000