Shirley Bassey has six siblings. Two of her mother’s four children from previous relationships lived in the Bassey household. Bassey’s mother listed her first husband, Alfred Metcalf, as her own father in the registry of her marriage to Henry Bassey, giving rise to speculation that this marriage was bigamous in the absence of a prior divorce.

Eliza and Henry’s second child died in infancy, so Shirley was born into a household of three sisters, two half-brothers and one brother.

Bassey has numerous BBC television specials, she has hosted her variety series, Shirley Bassey. In 2011, BBC aired the television film Shirley, based on Bassey’s life and career. Her song Goldfinger was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

In a career spanning over 70 years, Bassey has sold over 140 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time. She is the first woman in history to claim a Top 40 album in seven consecutive decades in the United Kingdom.