Anglo-French singer, actress and fashion icon Jane Birkin has passed away at the age of 76. The cause of her death is still unknown, however, French president Emmanuel Macron took to Twitter to praise the late star as a “complete artist”, whose tunes and images “will never leave us.”
Born in London in 1946 and having moved across the channel to France in the ’60s, Birkin first came to prominence appearing in small film roles, such as The Blonde in Blow Up (1966) and Penny Lane in Wonderwall (1968). By the end of the decade, she developed a romantic and collaborative relationship with acclaimed French musician Serge Gainsbourg, whom she recorded the hit 1969 song “Je T’aime…moi non plus” — bringing her international fame to follow. The tune was banned on radio in several different countries, including the Vatican, which condemned the overly erotic lyrics.
Despite being a lifelong muse for the musician, Birkin has described her relationship with Gainsbourg as “tumultuous” in the past, noting his aggression and problems with alcohol. The two were together for 12 years and had a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, who recently relocated from New York City to Paris in 2020.
More than just acting and singing, Birkin also became muse for another Parisian icon — Hermès. As legend has it, Birkin was on an Air France flight where a plastic bag holding her belongings broke. Sitting just next to her was Jean-Louis Dumas, who at the time was Hermès’ lead designer and eventual chief executive. Later that year, the French fashion house would release the now legendary Birkin Bag to match the exact needs she would recommend.
“The most Parisian of the English has left us,” tweeted Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. “We will never forget her songs, her laughs and her incomparable accent.”
Birkin is survived by her two daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg, along with Lou Doillon, who she had with a later partner, French director Jacques Doillon in the ’80s.
