Editing Marcel Cerdan (section)

== Later years ==
During his short period as a world champion, Cerdan became a popular figure of the [[Paris]] scene. Although married with three children, he had an affair with the famous singer [[Édith Piaf]]. The affair lasted from summer 1948 until his death in autumn 1949. They were very devoted to each other and Piaf dedicated one of her most famous songs, ''[[Hymne à l'amour]]'', to Cerdan.

For his first defense Cerdan returned to the United States, where he fought [[Jake LaMotta]] in [[Detroit]]. Cerdan was knocked down in round one, his shoulder was dislocated, and he had to give up after the tenth round.<ref>{{YouTube|laAN5PhKgKI|Marcel Cerdan vs Jake LaMotta in 1949}}</ref> It would be the last fight of Cerdan's life.  A contract was signed for a rematch and Cerdan went to training camp for it, but before camp began, he boarded a flight from Paris to New York to visit Piaf, who was performing there.

[[Air France Flight 009|The aircraft crashed into a mountain]] on [[São Miguel Island]] in the Azores, while on approach to [[Santa Maria Island|Santa Maria]] for a scheduled stopover, killing all 48 people on board, including Cerdan and  French violinist [[Ginette Neveu]].<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491028-0 Lockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation F-BAZN's accident description and causes (Flight Safety Foundation)]. Aviation-safety.net (28 October 1949). Retrieved on 6 August 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.marcelcerdanheritage.com/2en.aspx?sr=12 Marcel Cerdan's tragic disappearance (1949) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423014252/http://www.marcelcerdanheritage.com/2en.aspx?sr=12 |date=23 April 2008 }} – Marcel Cerdan Heritage</ref> The following day, LaMotta lauded Cerdan's sportsmanship, saying: "You had to fight him as I did to know what a fine sportsman he was."<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AQpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9FQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3268,5997305&dq=marcel+cerdan+dies+jake+lamotta&hl=en LaMotta lauds Cerdan for great sportsmanship]. News.google.com (28 October 1949). Retrieved on 6 August 2014.</ref> Cerdan was interred in the Cimetière du Sud, [[Perpignan]], [[Pyrénées-Orientales]], [[France]].