His most famous songs include "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", "We zullen doorgaan", "Pastorale", "Sammy" and "Laat me".

His father was an Egyptian diplomat Ramsès Shaffy Bey, and his mother was a Polish-Russian countess Alexandra de Wysocka.

[2][3] In 1964 he founded Shaffy Chantant, a theatre group, which led to his first collaborations with chanteuse Liesbeth List.

With Liesbeth List, Shaffy recorded the classic song "Pastorale" (Sun and Moon).

[5] He had to move to a rest home, suffering from Korsakoff-like symptoms, caused by heavy alcohol use.

[10] The municipal artwork in Vijzelgracht metro station, Amsterdam is a highly stylised transit map which portrays events in Shaffy's life.