French President Emmanuel Macron said Jane Birkin “embodied freedom” as he led tributes following her death at the age of 76.
London-born singer and actress Birkin charmed France with her British music and fashion style, becoming most famed for her collaboration with the late Serge Gainsbourg and lending her name to the Hermes Birkin designer handbag.
On Sunday, French media reported that she was found dead at her home in Paris.
Parce qu’elle incarnait la liberté, qu’elle chantait les plus beaux mots de notre langue, Jane Birkin était une icône française.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 16, 2023
Artiste complète, sa voix était aussi douce que ses engagements étaient ardents.
Elle nous lègue des airs et des images qui ne nous quitteront pas. pic.twitter.com/Ad27ngF54R
Mr Macron tweeted: “Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.
“A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery.
“She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us.”
Rima Abdul Malak, France’s Minister of Culture, also paid tribute, tweeting “the most French of Britons is gone”.
She continued: “Jane B was mischief, impertinent elegance, the never-outdated emblem of an entire era, a murmuring voice that remains our idol.
“A woman of heart, committed, whose disappearance leaves us Alone In Babylone,” referencing one of Birkin’s songs.
Jane Birkin, la plus parisienne des Anglaises nous a quittés. Nous n’oublierons jamais ses chansons, ses rires ou son accent incomparable qui nous ont toujours accompagnés. Toutes mes pensées à sa famille, à celles et ceux qui l’ont aimée. Et ils sont nombreux. pic.twitter.com/bIOEV0lieD
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) July 16, 2023
Similarly, the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the British ambassador to France Menna Rawlings described Birkin respectively as “the most Parisian of the English” and “the most French of British artists”.
French reports have said Birkin had health issues for a number of years that kept her from performing, including a mild stroke in 2021 which forced her to cancel shows, and a broken shoulder blade in March.
Birkin rose to international stardom with her risque projects with Gainsbourg before forging a long and varied career on her own.
Je suis triste d'apprendre le décès de Jane Birkin OBE: "la plus française des artistes britanniques".
— Menna Rawlings (@MennaRawlings) July 16, 2023
RIP🇫🇷🇬🇧💔 pic.twitter.com/CTMgKz8FOI
The couple’s breathless 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.
Birkin pursued a solo career releasing several albums, often singing in both French and English, and her notable acting credits including Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile and Evil Under The Sun.
The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr tweeted: “RIP Jane Birkin. Playing on her album ‘Fictions’ in 2006 was a lovely experience. A sweet and kind person with a heart for art.”
R.I.P Jane Birkin. Playing on her album ‘Fictions’ in 2006 was a lovely experience. A sweet and kind person with a heart for art. x pic.twitter.com/byZbgdu9ta
— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) July 16, 2023
She is also the inspiration for the Hermes Birkin handbag, after fashion businessman Jean-Louis Dumas 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.
Birkin bags have a host of celebrity admirers, with famous owners of the accessory including former US first lady Melania Trump, rapper Cardi B, pop star-turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and reality star Kim Kardashian.
Throughout her career, Birkin has also been involved in various humanitarian causes, including working with Amnesty International and Unicef.
In 2022, Birkin and her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg made headlines taking part in a protest video featuring stars such as Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche which saw them cutting off locks of their hair in support of protesters in Iran.
The Instagram video hash-tagged HairForFreedom, came as Iran was engulfed by anti-government protests following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
