Lys Assia (born Rosa Mina Schärer; 3 March 1924 – 24 March 2018) was a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Assia was born in Rupperswil, Aargau, and began her stage career as a dancer, but changed to singing in 1940, after successfully standing in for a female singer.

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1956 she was the winner of the very first Eurovision Song Contest, in which she sang for Switzerland. She had also been in the German national final of that year and returned to the contest again for Switzerland in 1957 and 1958.

In September 2011, Assia entered her song "C'était ma vie" written by Ralph Siegel and Jean Paul Cara into the Swiss national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song, however, only came eighth in a closely fought national selection. She attended the event in Baku as a guest of honour.

In 2012, Assia again entered the Swiss national selection Die grosse Entscheidungs Show to represent Switzerland in Malmöat the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "All In Your Head" featuring the hip-hop band New Jack. There were rumours of Assia representing San Marino, however it was announced on 30 January 2013 that Valentina Monetta would represent San Marino.

Personal life

Assia married Johann Heinrich Kunz on 11 January 1957 in Zürich. Kunz died just nine months later after battling a serious illness. Assia then married Oscar Pedersen in 1963. Pedersen then died in 1995.

She died on 24 March 2018 at Zürich's Zollikerberg Hospital.