Jane Birkin dead: Iconic British actress and singer dies aged 76
Jane Birkin OBE died at her home in Paris
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British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin OBE died at her home in Paris at the age of 76, French media has reported.
Birkin was best known for her sexually explicit 1969 song 'Je t'aime.. moi non plus,' which she sang with the late Serge Gainsbourg, whom she had a 12 year romantic relationship.
Birkin was an influential figure across music, film and fashion in the 60s and 70s, most notably for her collaboration with the late Serge Gainsbourg and the eponymous Hermes designer handbag.
A renowned actress, Birkin starred in films such as Blow Up (1966), The Swimming Pool (1969), Evil Under the Sun (1982), and Death on the Nile (1988).
Actress Jane Birkin with husband Serge Gainsbourg at London's Heathrow Airport after arriving from Paris.
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She was born in London but found fame singing in French.
The couple’s song Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus was widely kept from the airwaves because of its adult content but reached number one in the UK despite being sung in a foreign language.
Banned on the radio in several countries, the Vatican condemned the overtly sexual lyrics.
Hermes' Birkin bag is said to have been the brainchild of fashion businessman Jean-Louis Dumas, who spoke to the actress and singer about her frustration at not being able to find a bag big enough for her daughter’s bottles during a flight from Paris to London in 1984.
A photograph of British actress and model Jane Birkin, taken in 1970 by photographer Michael Webb, which is on display at the Style Queens Of The 20th Century during a private view at Getty Images Gallery off the King's Road in London.
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In September 2021, Birkin pulled out of an appearance at an American film festival after reportedly suffering a stroke.
Throughout her career, Birkin has been involved in various humanitarian causes, including working with Amnesty International and Unicef.
Actress Jane Birkin was awarded an OBE by King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, at Buckingham Palace in 2002.
Prior to meeting Gainsbourg, Birkin was married to British composer John Barry.
Birkin had a daughter with John Barry called Kate, who worked as a fashion photographer for Vogue and The Sunday Times Magazine.
Actress Jane Birkin and her 18-month-old daughter Charlotte at Heathrow Airport in 1972, where they were leaving for Paris after spending Christmas on the Isle of Wight.
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Kate Barry suffered from addiction for many years and died in December 2013 as a result of a fall from her fourth floor apartment in the 16th arrondissement of Paris in what was assumed to be a suicide at the age of 46.
Birkin also had a daughter, Charlotte, with Serge Gainsbourg.
Also an actress and singer, Charlotte Gainsbourg has received two Cesar Awards and Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award.
Charlotte's acting credits include Antichrist (2009), Melancholia (2011), Independence Day (2016), and the sexually explicit Nymphomaniac (2013).
Charlotte Gainsbourg wins the Best Actress award for her part in the film Antichrist, at the Cannes Film Festival, held at the Palais de Festival in Cannes, France.
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Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack in 1991.
Birkin also had a daughter, Lou, with French writer/director Jacques Doillon.
Lou is an actress singer and a model.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, tweeted: “Jane Birkin, the most Parisian of the English has left us.
“We will never forget her songs, her laughter or her incomparable accent that have always accompanied us.”
French culture minister Roselyne Bachelot told French TV network BFM: "This departure is so sad. She was a beautiful person."
More to follow...