British born actor and singer Jane Birkin has died at the age of 76.
Birkin was reportedly found dead at her home in Paris, no cause of death has been given. She had been in poor health, having suffered a stroke in 2021.
Birkin first found fame in London during the swinging 60’s where she had minor roles in Michaelangelo Antonioni’s films Blow Up and Kaleidescope. Birkin was wed to film composer John Barry, who she had met when she was cast in his musical Passion Flower Hotel, together they had a daughter Kate Barry.
The actress found success in France in 1968 when she starred alongside Serge Gainsbourg is the film Slogan. The following year they released an album together which included the memorable song Je t’aime … moi non plus which shocked people with its overt sexuality, breath filled delivery and climatic ending.
When she first met Gainsbourg Birkin did not speak French, but soon her delivery of her new language with a heavy accent became her trademark, and French audiences adored her. In 1971 Birkin and Gainsbourg’s daughter Charlotte was born, she would also go on to become a successful actress and singer.
Birkin continued making movies throughout the 1970s, mainly in France, but she also made some memorable appearances in English language films including Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile (1978), and Evil Under the Sun (1982).
Over her career she also made over a dozen albums, her most recent work which came out in 2020 saw her working with producer Etienne Daho.
Her relationship with Gainsbourg ended in 1981 and she went on to have a relationship with French film director Jacques Doillon. Their daughter Lou Doillon is also a successful musician.
Birkin has given her time to philanthropic causes, and often worked with Amnesty International on issues relating to migrant welfare and the effects of the AIDS epidemic. She was a vocal supporter of LGBTIQA+ rights.
In 1983 Jean-Louis Dumas, the Chief Executive of luxury brand Hermes was seated next to Birkin on the plane flight. As she attempted to store her bag in the overhead locker its contents fell out, leaving the actor explaining her difficult in finding a bag that she really liked.
In response Hermes designed a bag in her honour, the Birkin. It has gone on to become a style icon in its own right, with some versions costing half-a-million dollars. Birkin used the bag itself for a while, but found it was quite large and she was carrying too many things.
Following her passing French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Birkin describing her as a “French icon”.
“Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon,” Macron said on social media.
OIP Staff, image Jane Birkin performing in Nyon Switzerland on 28th July 2019, Shutterstock.
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