A source close to Jane Birkin confirmed her passing on Sunday.
She was a British-born singer and actress who rose to fame in her adopted country of France.
She had a 76-year-old body.
Birkin had been forced to postpone concerts in recent years due to health issues.
Other information, such as the cause of death, was not immediately available.
Birkin’s tumultuous relationship with legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and her strongly accented French, which became one of her trademarks in her adopted country, propelled her to fame.
Jane Birkin, the British-born singer and actress who later moved to France and became a fashion icon there, has passed away, a source close to her confirmed on Sunday. She was 76 years old.
Birkin had recently experienced health issues that required her to postpone performances.
Other information, such as the cause of death, was not immediately available.
Birkin’s contentious relationship with legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and her strongly accented French, which became one of her identifiers in her adopted country, propelled her to fame.
Birkin was the ultimate It girl in the 1970s with her flared jeans, mini dresses, and distinctive fringe.
Hermes gave one of its handbags, still a sought-after status symbol, her name in 1984.
Following her death, tributes came in from all over the nation.
Birkin was referred to as “a complete artist” who “sang the most beautiful words in our language” by President Emmanuel Macron in his opening remarks.
Etienne Daho, a singer and one of her closest friends, wrote on Instagram, “It’s unimaginable to live in a world without your light in it.”.
Elisabeth Borne, the French prime minister, praised her as an “unforgettable icon, a unique voice, and charm” who “transcended generations” with her music and talent.
London-born Birkin traveled across the English Channel in 1968 at the age of 22 to work in a movie with Gainsbourg, who was 18 years older than she was.
The couple became known for their work as well as for their bohemian and hedonistic lifestyle during the course of their 13-year relationship, which launched them into the spotlight.
With her soft voice and androgynous silhouette, Birkin quickly rose to fame as a sex icon. In 1969, she recorded the steamy duet “Je t’aime” with a snarling Gainsbourg. me neither.”.
The song, which was condemned by the Vatican and was banned from radio play in several nations, became a global hit.
“Je t’aime,” our 13-year commitment, and the fact that he remained my friend up until the day of his death made him and I the most well-known couple in that peculiar way. Who could want more?” Birkin said to CNN in 2006.
“As a result, Paris became my home. In this place, I was adopted. They enjoy my accent,” the woman said.
Birkin, the daughter of an actress and a naval officer, wed composer John Barry for James Bond, with whom she had a daughter named Kate. The union lasted three years.
After meeting Gainsbourg on the set of a romantic comedy in which she also starred, she relocated to France.
Charlotte, their daughter, went on to have a very successful career as both an actress and singer.
Gainsbourg and Birkin’s musical and romantic relationship was renowned for its turbulence.
Birkin once threw a custard pie in Gainsbourg’s face during one of their heated arguments and threw herself into the Seine River.
After leaving France’s favorite bad boy in 1980, she carved out her own path.
She has collaborated with renowned filmmakers like Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, James Ivory, and Agnes Varda on her roughly 70 films.
However, she would always be linked to Gainsbourg, who continued to write songs for her even after their breakup, including “Les dessous chics,” about the use of lingerie to try to hide a failing relationship.
In a 2018 interview with AFP, Birkin stated that the song was “the most beautiful about separation you could ever have.”.
Tragedy and difficulties characterized her life.
An apparent suicide claimed the life of her oldest child, photographer Kate Barry, in 2013.
In the latter half of the 1990s, she battled leukemia, and in 2021, she experienced a mild stroke.
Charlotte Gainsbourg, her daughter with Gainsbourg, and Lou Doillon, a singer from a 13-year relationship with French director Jacques Doillon, are Birkin’s only living children.
