Dame Shirley Bassey was named in the New Year Honors list alongside the likes of Emilia Clarke and Paul Hollywood.
The singing powerhouse's legacy will shine for another century after being named a Companion of Honor – a title bestowed on famous figures such as Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Paul McCartney.
The award recognizes achievements “that will be remembered 100 years from now,” and the number of recipients is limited to a maximum of 65 living members.
The singer has come a long way from her humble beginnings in Tiger Bay, Cardiff and singing in London bars and clubs.
Web takes a look at the incredible career of Shirley Bassey.
Dame Shirley Bassey's legacy will shine for another century as she has been named a Companion of Honor in the New Year Honours' List (pictured 2023).
Web takes a look at the incredible career of the 'Girl From Tiger Bay' (pictured in 1962)
Where is Shirley Bassey from?
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey was born in Bute Street, Cardiff in 1937 to Nigerian father Henry Bassey and Teeside mother Eliza Jane Start.
She was the youngest of her six siblings – three sisters, a brother and two half-sisters – and grew up in the nearby community of Splott.
Shirley had a strong voice from a young age and often sang in the corridors of Moorland Road School, although she received little applause from classmates and teachers.
Her sister Gracie told The Mirror that the star was “singing as soon as she could talk”, with the crooner herself admitting that her natural talent was completely accidental.
She said, “No one in my family sings, no one from my mother's side.” We don't know anything about my father's side.
“Centuries ago there was probably an ancestor who called rain with this powerful voice.”
The Cardiff-born singer left the city aged just 14 to sing in local pubs and clubs in the starry city of London.
In 1953, Shirley landed her first professional contract, which landed her a tour with a variety show called Memories of Jolson, based on the life of famous singer Al Jolson.
Later in December that year, the singer signed a contract with Columbia Productions for two shows, receiving a £10 paycheck.
The following year she toured with another show called Hot From Harlem, which also featured other multiracial Cardiffians playing the roles of African Americans.
Who are Shirley Bassey's children?
Shirley has two daughters, Sharon and Samantha. Her youngest daughter Samantha was found dead in the River Avon in Bristol in 1985, aged 21 (pictured left to right: Sharon, Shirley and Samantha).
While touring with the show Hot from Harlem, Shirley became pregnant at the age of 16 and later gave birth to her first child, Sharon, in September 1954.
After Sharon's birth, Shirley was forced to turn her back on her aspiring career and return to Wales, where she worked as a waitress.
During this time, according to The Mirror, single mothers were sometimes excommunicated and sometimes pressured into giving their children up for adoption.
However, the Welsh starlet tried to address the issue and hide the baby's existence from her colleagues and bosses.
The “Diamonds Are Forever” singer confessed that she wasn't married to Sharon's father, adding, “I don't talk about it for this reason: Sharon gets touchy when I mention it, and I understand that.”
Shirley did not reveal the identity of her child's father until 1998, when she revealed that Sharon's father was Jewish and that he was married and had two children while they were romantically involved.
The Goldfinger singer also confessed that she never told Sharon's father about her existence because it would “hurt too many people.”
Sharon was raised in Scotland by Shirley's older sister Ellam until she was nine.
Shirley gave birth to her second daughter, Samantha, in 1963, but her paternity was not publicly revealed.
Sadly, in 1985, aged 21, Samantha was found dead in the River Avon in Bristol.
In 2010, Avon and Somerset Police launched a new investigation into the young woman's death, but Alter found there was “no evidence of criminal activity”.
Shirley lost her voice for a while after her daughter's death.
The star also adopted her grandnephew Mark.
How did Shirley Bassey become famous?
Thanks to her sister Ella, Shirley was able to realize her dream of superstardom and raised her eldest daughter Sharon in Scotland until she was nine (pictured: Shirley in 1956).
Her mastery of the Glasgow Empire's notoriously difficult crowd earned her a contract. From then on her career became more and more successful (pictured in 1970)
Thanks to her sister Ella's mentorship of her eldest daughter Sharon, Shirley was able to realize her singing dreams, including a very important performance in Scotland.
During her first national tour she was asked by the promoter if she would consider performing at the Glasgow Empire.
Since the theater had a reputation for being one of the most difficult in the country, he negotiated with Shirley that he would offer her a contract if she could “win over” the audience.
Despite her heckling nature, Shirley managed to control the crowd, ordering the crowd and telling them that if they weren't willing to listen, she would simply go home.
When she finished the song, the applause from the well-known harsh crows was “deafening.”
The promoter later learned of Shirley's triumphant performance through word of mouth and presented her with a contract.
Who was Shirley Bassey married to?
Shirley married film director Kenneth Hume (pictured) in 1961. The two later divorced in 1965
She tied the knot again with Sergio Novak in 1968 at the Little Church Of The Wes in Las Vegas (pictured in 1974).
The vocal talent was notoriously unlucky in love and was once traumatically held at gunpoint by an obsessive ex-partner.
She later married twice, once to Kenneth Hume in 1961 and again to Sergio Novak in 1968.
Kenneth Hume and Shirley married on June 8, 1961 in a registry office in Paddington and divorced four years later in 1965.
But Shirley did not give up her pursuit of true love and married Sergio Novak about three years later, in August 1968.
The couple made it official at the Little Church Of The West in Las Vegas, but their marriage later collapsed.
The Cardiffian claimed their union fell apart because Sergio became her manager, but he claimed Shirley was having an affair with her road manager Kenny Carter.
What other awards has Shirley Bassey received?
Shirley has come a long way since her childhood in Splott, Cardiff, racking up numerous hits including Love Song, Never, Never, Never and This Is My Life (pictured in 2023).
She is the only artist in history to record multiple James Bond theme songs, including Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger and Moonraker (pictured in 2015).
The Welsh starlet has received numerous honors, including being named Dame and being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (pictured: Shirley Bassey performing at Glastonbury in 2007).
Throughout her career, Shirley has scored numerous hits, including “Love Song,” “Never, Never, Never,” and “This Is My Life.”
Over the course of her career, she has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall more than 45 times and performed at the 80th birthday celebrations of Prince Philip and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Widely regarded as one of Britain's most popular and influential singers, her career has spanned 70 years and she is the first woman to have an album in the UK Top 40 in seven consecutive decades.
The crooner also recorded not one, but three James Bond theme songs: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.
The songs contributed enormously to the success of their respective films and made Shirley the only artist to record multiple James Bond theme tunes.
She has received many honors and awards for her incredible career, including becoming a Dame and being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
She was also awarded the Freedom of the City of Cardiff and was awarded the New Years Honors in 1994 and 2024 for her services to music.