Jane Birkin, British-French actor and singer, dies at 76

Jane Birkin, the actor, singer, and style legend best known for her 1969 hit song "Je T'aime … Moi Non Plus," has died. She was 76.

Birkin was found dead at her home in Paris, reported the French news outlet BFM TV Sunday and the French Culture Ministry, which tweeted that Birkin was a "timeless Francophone icon."

She had suffered a mild stroke in 2021 and been forced to cancel shows this past March due to a broken shoulder blade. Her return to the stage was initially set for May, but she postponed it to take more time to heal.

"I've always been a big optimist," Birkin said in a statement to her fans at the time, "and I realize that it still takes me a little while to be able to be on stage again and with you. I love being with you so much."

REPORTERS ASSOCIES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Jane Birkin

Born in London on Dec. 14, 1946, Birkin would rise to fame in France. After her 1966 role in the film Blow Up, Birkin starred in the romantic comedy Slogan alongside French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. This marked the start of their professional and personal relationship, which would make them one of France's most famous couples.

They collaborated most memorably on a new version of Gainsbourg's song "Je T'aime… Moi Non Plus." The track's lyrics were so sexually explicit that it was declared offensive, denounced by the Vatican, and banned from radio stations worldwide. Yet it still achieved great success and acclaim, rising up the charts in Europe, North America, and Australia.

"We met up in a huge studio in Marbella and in two takes we had the final product," Birkin recalled in a 2019 interview with French Vogue. "Back in Paris, we went for dinner in the wine cellar of the Hôtel des Beaux Arts. There was a record player, and without saying a word, Serge put the song on and all of a sudden all the couples around us stopped talking, their knives and forks in midair. Serge pinched me and said: 'I think we've got a hit record.'"

She added, "We never thought for a moment that the song would become such a symbol of freedom all over the world. People listened to it in secret, from Spain to Argentina."

Gainsbourg later directed Birkin in the 1976 erotic film of the same name. The couple never married but stayed together for 12 years. In 1971, they had a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, now an award-winning actress known for her collaborations with director Lars Von Trier. Birkin and Gainsbourg split up in 1980 but remained close friends, with Gainsbourg still writing songs for the singer.

Across her acting career, which includes nearly 70 films, Birkin worked with numerous filmmakers, including revered directors Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Bertrand Tavernier, Alain Resnais, and James Ivory. Among her most famous acting credits are her roles in the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile and the 1982 mystery Evil Under the Sun.

Birkin was also the inspiration for the beloved Hermès Birkin handbag, which in the '90s quickly became a status symbol due to its exclusivity and the high price tag attached it. According to Hermès, the design originated from a chance encounter between Birkin and former executive chairman of Hermès Jean-Louis Dumas. While sitting beside her on a plane, Dumas overheard Birkin complaining that she wanted a bag that suited her needs as a young mother. He created the coveted accessory and named it after her.

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