663 The Singing Nun, aka Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile) “Dominique” 1963

Jeannine Deckers (1933-1985) “committed the ultimate rebellion against her parents by entering a Dominican convent near Waterloo. In 1963, the convent reluctantly let her record a single to raise money for its mission in Congo under the name Soeur Sourire, a name she came to hate. The song, Dominique—inspired by the 13th-century saint who founded her order—sold millions of copies worldwide and Deckers remains the only Belgian to have had a US number one. After the one-hit wonder, struggling to cope with both fame and convent life, Deckers left the religious order and tried to continue her pop career without the wimple…Deckers killed herself alongside her partner, Anne Pecher, in 1985” (Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian International, 4/29/2009). 

The Singing Nun “Dominique”