300px|thumb|right|German chanteuse Nico, pictured in 1966, by Gerard Malanga.
Christa Päffgen (October 16,1938 – July 18, 1988) was a singer-songwriter, fashion model, actress and Warhol superstar, best known by her pseudonym Nico. She is best remembered for a collaboration with The Velvet Underground in 1967.
The date and location of Nico's birth are disputed. Most sources state October 16,1938, Cologne, Germany. However, at least two other sources have put her birth date at March 15, 1943, in Budapest, Hungary.
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Nico made her early fame as a model. After leaving home and school at 13, started selling lingerie and soon was spotted by fashion people. A year after, the young girl was found by her mother while modelling in Berlin. She would still move to Paris and meet the photographer Tobias, who christened her "Nico" after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nico Papatakis. Nico worked for Vogue, Tempo, Vie Nuove, Mascotte Spettacolo, Camera, ELLE, and various other fashion magazines in the late 1950s. She also claimed she was briefly hired by Coco Chanel. Even dropping ...
