1970s icon Jane Birkin has sadly died aged 76
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The iconic actor, singer and It girl Jane Birkin has been found dead at her home in Paris, the French culture ministry confirmed today.
Jane, who was born in London in 1946, relocated to France in the 1970s after finding fame singing in French. She was a style icon in the late 1960s and 1970s thanks to her messy fringe, mini-dresses and flared jeans.
A major mainstream connection to Birkin and her enduring image is that she was the inspiration for one of Hermès’ most popular handbags, the Birkin, which was named after the star back in 1984.
After being known to carry a hand-woven straw basket with her everywhere, a chance encounter on a flight from Paris to London where she just so happened to be seated next to Hermès’ chief executive at the time, Jean-Louis Dumas, led to him creating the original Birkin bag for her.
Her relationship with the late French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, who died in 1991, was famed and admired. Their song together, ‘Je t'aime... moi non plus’, was a worldwide hit.
Their tumultuous relationship lasted for 12 years before they separated in 1980.
Over the years Jane also appeared in around 70 films and was nominated for several acting awards.
In later years, Jane was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her services to acting and British-French cultural relations. She was also the face of a campaign urging English-speaking victims of domestic violence in France to seek help, working closely with Women for Women France.
It was reported that she had suffered a stroke in 2021, which was why she had to cancel a planned appearance at a film festival in the United States. She had, however, toured as recently as 2022. But it is not yet known what caused her death.
The British ambassador to France, Menna Rawlings, paid tribute to her on Twitter, describing her as ‘the most French of British artists.’ While the French culture minister, Roselyne Bachelot, told the French TV station BFM that, ‘this departure is so sad. She was a beautiful person.’
The actor and singer leaves behind two children, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon. Her eldest daughter Kate Barry passed away in 2013.
You Might Also Like
