Jane Birkin, British-born actress and namesake of iconic Hermès bag, dies in Paris aged 76

by Bianna Morris-Grant and wires

Jane Birkin has died aged 76. (Getty Images: Barham/Mirrorpix)

British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a 1960s wild child who became a beloved figure in France, has died in Paris aged 76.

Le Parisien newspaper and BFM television reported she had been found dead at her home, citing people close to her.

Birkin had a mild stroke in 2021 after suffering heart problems in previous years.

"This departure is so sad. She was a beautiful person," former culture minister Roselyne Bachelot told BFM.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the singer a "French icon" in a tribute post on social media. 

"Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon," he wrote on Twitter. 

Photo courtesy Élisabeth Borne, Twitter 

"A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery.

"She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us."

France's Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne also shared her farewell to the "unforgettable" singer. 

"Through her music and her talent, she has transcended the generations," Ms Borne wrote.

Birkin was best known outside France for her 1969 hit in which she and her then-lover, the late French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, sang the sexually explicit Je t'aime…moi non plus.

She had lived in her adopted France since the break-up of her marriage to British composer John Barry in the late 1960s.

Apart from her singing and roles in dozens of films, she was a popular figure in France for her warm nature and as a stalwart fighter for women's and LGBTQ+ rights.

Birkin and Gainsbourg on YouTube. Click here.

The name behind the famous Birkin bag

Birkin became known for carrying a hand-woven straw basket at all times, even to nightclubs and formal events.

The bag was later deliberately run over by her then-partner, French film director Jacques Doillon.

Birkin was on a flight from Paris to London in 1983 when she was seated next to the chairman of luxury brand Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas.

The contents of the basket fell out onto the floor — scrambling for her things, Birkin told Dumas she had been unable to find a leather bag she liked.

He went on to design a leather bag for her in 1984.

She used it for a while, but abandoned it later on, labelling it "bloody heavy" in a 2012 interview.

The bags, now a status symbol, can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 2015, Birkin penned an open letter asking that her name be taken off the bag.

"Having been alerted to the cruel practices endured by crocodiles during their slaughter for the production of Hermès bags carrying my name … I have asked Hermès Group to rename the Birkin until better practices responding to international norms can be implemented for the production of this bag," she told the AFP.

Hermès has not renamed the bag.

Love affairs and albums in France

It was in France that Birkin truly shot to fame, as much for her love affair with tormented national star Gainsbourg, as for her tomboyish style and endearing British accent when speaking French, which some said she cultivated deliberately.

Following the break-up of their relationship in 1981, she continued her career as a singer and actress, appearing on stage and releasing albums such as Baby Alone in Babylone in 1983, and Amours des Feintes in 1990, both with words and music by Gainsbourg.

She wrote her own album Arabesque in 2002, and in 2009 released a collection of live recordings, Jane at the Palace.

"It's unimaginable to live in a world without you," said French singer Etienne Daho, who produced and composed Birkin's last album in 2020.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin broke off their relationship in the 1980s.  
(Getty Images: STILLS/Gamma-Rapho)

Birkin is survived by two of her three daughters.

Her daughter with Gainsbourg, Charlotte Gainsbourg, is an actress who has collaborated extensively with director Lars von Trier.

With Jacques Doillon, she had Lou Doillon, who is now a singer, actress and model.

Birkin's daughter with John Barry, Kate Barry, was a fashion photographer who died in 2013.

First published at ABC News, July 17, 2023