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Lys Assia, Eurovision’s first-ever winner, dies aged 94

Swiss singer Lys Assia, the first-ever winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, has died aged 94, the competition's organisers said.

Published: 25 March 2018 15:28 CEST

Lys Assia, Eurovision's first-ever winner, dies aged 94

Lys Assia pictured in the 1960s and in 2011. Composite: AFP

Assia, who won the first edition of the contest in 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland, with the song “Refrain”, “passed away on March 24th at Zurich's Zollikerberg Hospital, having recently turned 94,” Eurovision said in a statement.

Assia, whose real name was Rosa Mina Schärer, was born in 1924 in Rupperswil in the north of Switzerland.

She began her career as a dancer, but soon turned to singing, achieving her biggest hit in 1950 with “O Mein Papa”, Eurovision said.

Assia took part in the contest again in 1957 and actually came second in 1958 with the song “Giorgio”.

She tried to return as a contestant again in 2011, but was not selected to sing for Switzerland.

Assia is the only Swiss national to have won Eurovision, although Canadian singer Celine Dion won the contest on behalf of Switzerland in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi”.

This year's Eurovision Song Contest is being held in Lisbon, Portugal in May.

READ ALSO: Six finalists compete to be Switzerland's Eurovision entry

IN PICS: Thousands protest in Malmö against Israel's participation in Eurovision

The protesters gathered at Malmö’s Stortorget Square, with many waving Palestinian flags or wrapping their necks with the Keffiye, the scarf that is a symbol of the Palestinian struggle against occupation.

According to police, between 6,000 and 8,000 people took part in the demonstration.

“Everything as gone according to expectations. Everything is calm and there are no disturbances so far,” Jimmy Modin, the police’s press spokesperson told Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Some signs reference the disqualification of the The Netherlands’ entry Joost Klein, even though the European Broadcasting Union has asserted that the member of the production team who has accused him of threatening behaviour was not connected to a national delegation in any way.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

The youth wing of the Left Party carried a sign saying, “Genocide: Nul points — no occupying powers at Eurovision”.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

The protesters than moved in a procession down Södergatan and Södra Förstadsgatan, Malmö’s two main pedestrianised shopping streets, to the the Triangeln shopping, before moving down towards Slottsparken, the park where the protest is due to finish.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Members of other communities in Malmö carried banners, such as this one saying “Latinos for Palestine”.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Some of Malmö’s Jewish community also joined the march, with one protester carrying a Jews for Palestine banner.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Danish police had provided riot vans to help Swedish police control the protest, but at the time this article was posted, there had been no reports of violence.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

When the protest reached the Triangeln shopping centre it dispersed and spread out over the square in front.

Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

When The Local was leaving Malmö Arena in Hyllie, there were a handful of demonstrators staging an unsanctioned protest, who police were asking to stop.

Photo: Richard Orange

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