Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on August 19, 1883. Her mother was an unwed laundrywoman and her father was a nomadic street peddler. Eventually, though, her parents did marry. Chanel's mother died in 1895 when Chanel was only twelve years old. Her father, unable to care for her and her siblings, sent them off to receive the best possible care he could afford.