Jane Birkin, French Icon and ‘Blowup’ Actress, Dead at 76

Jane Birkin, actor, singer, and fashion icon has died at the age of 76. Birkin, who was originally from the UK, made France her home, and the nation embraced her as an emblem for their effortless and chic style. In her later years, Birkin was known for her animal rights activism.

A great deal of her most iconic work came out of a long-term collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg, who was also her romantic partner. The pair had one daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, who is an actor. Gainsbourg and Birkin parted ways in 1980, but she remained his muse even after their romantic parting. Their famed duet “Je t’aime… moi non plus” stands as an iconic song within the robust canon of 1960s music. The duet helped to catapult Birkin to international fame and was denounced by a Vatican newspaper, a controversy which no doubt helped further her reputation. Sadly, Gainsbourg died in 1991. Birkin is survived by her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon. Birkin’s eldest daughter, Kate Barry, died in 2013.

A Film and Fashion Icon

Birkin’s movie credits include the title Blow-Up, which was released in 1966. The film helped to introduce French audiences to the actor and her iconic, effortless style. And her style is at the center of her iconic reputation. The Paris fashion house Hermes created a bag, called the Birkin bag, named in her honor, in 1984. Since its first release, the item has become the ultimate high-end status symbol. The bag has an avid following and has even become so iconic that it served as a central plot point in such series as Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls. The bag has a wait list that spans several years and costs, well, you wouldn’t want to know how much.

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But beyond being a fashion icon, Birkin has also been politically active, especially in her adopted home country of France. She has campaigned for Amnesty International in Myanmar for their pro-democracy movement and also helped in the fight against AIDS. In 2022, Birkin joined many other stars in France in cutting off her hair in order to support protestors in Iran.

Her work spans several mediums, from music to fashion and film. Though she is widely recognized as a muse, she was also an artist in her own right and used her voice to effect change in the world. The French Culture Ministry reported that Birkin passed away on Sunday, 16th July, 2023, at the age of 76.