Dame Shirley grew up in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, leaving school at 14 to work in a packing factory.
In the evenings and on weekends however, the teenager could be found singing in local clubs and pubs – where her star potential was spotted in 1955.
Her subsequent career has spanned more than seven decades and seen her become a global star, with an unsurpassed three James Bond theme tunes to her name.
Between 1964 and 1979, Dame Shirley recorded theme tunes for Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker.
Her 1960 recording of As Long As He Needs Me, from the musical Oliver!, spent 30 weeks in the charts, and in 1999 she memorably performed the official song – alongside Bryn Terfel – at the opening of the Rugby World Cup at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, wearing a gown based on the Welsh flag.