Getty Images
Jane Birkin, the British-born singer and actress who became one of the ultimate ‘it’ girls of the 20th century and the inspiration for the status symbol Birkin bag, was found dead in her Paris home on Sunday. was done.
She was 76 years old.
Reuters Her death from a stroke in 2021 was reportedly confirmed by former Culture Minister Roseline Bachelot, who said: “This departure is very sad. She was a beautiful person.”
Birkin has lived in France for decades, where she was particularly well received.
Born in London on December 14, 1946, she was teased at school for her boyish figure, which later helped her rise to fame in the 60s when her figure became the look of the era. have become.
After a brief marriage to composer John Barry and the birth of her daughter, fashion photographer Kate Barry, Birkin sought modeling and film work.
In 1966, she caused a sensation when she appeared nude in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Explosion”. She appeared in Kaleidoscope (1966) and Wonderwall (1968) and was on the set of Slogan (1969), a famous French pop provocateur and her longtime partner. I met Serge Gainsbourg. They were a famous couple for a decade and a half, with hits such as the racy song “Je t’aime… moi non plus” (1969) and his girlfriend’s 1975 film “Je t’aime moi non plus.” We have collaborated many times. She was nominated for the César Award for Best Actress.
Birkin gave birth to singer and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg with a French wild child.
Alongside her modeling career, Birkin appeared in a number of films, mostly French, including two Agatha Christie murder mysteries with an all-star cast, 1978’s Death on the Nile and 1982’s In the Sun. The villain of ” also called a topic. What is the best point of her performance in that?
Other film works include “La Fille Prodig” (1981) and “La Pirates” (1984) with director Jacques Doillon (with Jacques Doillon, she is also a singer). (She has a daughter, Lou Doillon, who is also an actress.) She appeared in “La Belle Noises” (1991), “Leave All Fair” (1985), “Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries” (1998) and “Elektra” (2006).
In 2021, she starred in her daughter’s directorial debut, the docudrama “Jane by Charlotte,” which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Getty Images
Having developed a cult following for her singing, she recorded around 14 studio albums, released 6 live albums, and gave frequent concerts before her stroke.
For 70 years, the Birkin has been both a living performer and an icon. In addition to her work with famous models, she famously got the inspiration for the Birkin bag thanks to a chance encounter with a Hermès executive on a flight from Paris to London. Complaining that he couldn’t find the perfect leather weekend bag, the company’s chief executive, Jean-Louis Dumas (who was in attendance), began making a bag called the Birkin bag. Birkin herself only used it briefly, but her name stuck and the bag sold in her five and six figures.
In 2015, Birkin called on Hermès to “unbaptize” luxury goods, speaking out against animal cruelty in the collection of skins for its bags. Instead, the company changed its practices.
Known for championing women’s and LGBTQ rights, Birkin is survived by two daughters (Kate Barry died earlier in 2013) and a grandson.
