“Only my dogs will not betray me.” – Maria Callas

Unless you are a fan of the opera, are a historian with a particular interest in Jackie Kennedy, or are of a certain age, you may not know who Maria Callas was, but she had good reason for saying what she said about her dogs.

A quick primer: Maria Callas was one of the most influential opera singers of the 20th century, someone that Leonard Bernstein call “the Bible of opera.” We are tempted add that she was the original diva, a New York City born Greek soprano famous for her temper and histrionics. Tormented by a difficult relationship with her mother, she was also a heavy woman until she chose the middle of her career to transform herself into a svelte and glamorous superstar with dark features and a distinctive profile. Some say the weight loss contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career, but oh, how the woman could sing. Listen below to her interpretation of Madam Butterfly:

Many people outside of the opera world were unfamiliar with Maria Callas,  but when shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, threw her over for the young widow of an American president, Callas became a familiar name. Callas had loved Onassis completely and almost slavishly, such was her passionate nature. On the day of Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis’ wedding, a broken-hearted and humiliated Callas stayed in her apartment, refusing to speak to anyone.

Within five months, Onassis was trying to woo Maria back. The marriage with Kennedy was not what he had expected, and Maria took him back without a fight. Still, when Onassis’ son died tragically in a plane crash, Maria was forbidden to go to the funeral, and when Maria’s father died a few months later in Athens, she didn’t attend the funeral because Jackie and Aristotle were there at the time.  When Onassis was hospitalized in Paris with Myasthenia Gravis which ultimately killed him, Jackie ordered hospital staff at not to admit Maria, even though Kennedy and Onassis were now in divorce proceedings.

Maria Callas finally came to understand that she would never occupy an official place at Onassis’ side. She threw herself into her career, but continued to mourn him after his death. She died two years later at the age of 54, probably of a heart attack, though most who knew her best said it was of a broken heart.

Tthroughout her tumultuous adult life, Callas found comfort in her Poodles, “Toy,” “Pixie” and “Djeddas.”

Little wonder, then, that she said, “Only my dogs will not betray me.”