Jane Birkin, International Icon, Dead at 76

Actress, singer and the namesake of Hermès' Birkin Bag, Jane Birkin, has died. She was 76.

The French culture minister announced the news on Sunday following local reports that Birkin had been found dead at her home in Paris. In the tribute, the organization praised her as a "timeless Francophone icon."

Information regarding Birkin's cause of death was not immediately made public, though the singer had battled some health issues in recent years, suffering a mild stroke in 2021.

Birkin rose to international stardom in the late 1960s, after her romantic relationship with French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg became public, and the two released the song "Je t’aime…moi non plus" in 1969. The song–which was later banned in several countries and even condemned by the Vatican for its use of sexually explicit "gasps," "sighs" and "moans"–made Birkin a recognizable name across the globe as it topped charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and even the United States.

"He and I became the most famous of couples in that strange way because of Je t’aime and because we stuck together for 13 years and he went on being my best friend until the day he died," Birkin told CNN in 2006.

Birkin and Gainsbourg met on the set of the 1969 film Slogan, and months later, the 22-year-old actress was singing with Gainsbourg (then 40). The two would remain together as one of France's most notorious couples for 13 years, even welcoming a daughter, actress, singer and director, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The duo's not-safe-for-work hit wasn't the start of Birkin's career but it certainly helped boost her credits. Before meeting Gainsbourg, Birkin had a small role in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 Blow-Up, as well as acting credits in the British television drama anthology series Armchair Theatre, among others.

She later went on to star in some of her most notable roles, including Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982) alongside Maggie Smith.

Then in 1984, French fashion design house Hermès named and designed a handbag exclusively after her, the "Birkin" bag–which has remained one of the brand's most popular luxury handbags to date.

In addition to Charlotte, Birkin welcomed two more daughters; the singer Lou Doillon, whom she shares with French director Jacques Dillon, and the late Kate Barry, whom she welcomed with James Bond composer and first husband John Barry.

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