French Actor And Icon Jane Birkin Dies At The Age Of 76

Jane Birkin (Instagram @janebirkinoff)

JAKARTA - Actor and singer Jane Birkin died on Sunday, July 16 yesterday. This news was confirmed by the French Ministry of Culture in a tweet.

"His collaboration with (Serge Gainsbourg, Etienne Daho and Agnès Varda) made him an unrestricted French icon of time," the account tweeted on the same day.

The cause of Jane Birkin's death was not disclosed but according to an ABC News report, the actress has had health problems in recent years, including a stroke in 2021 that has prevented her from being active in the entertainment industry.

Born in December 1946 in London, Jane Birkin became popular after appearing in Slogan at the age of 20. She also met with Gainsbourg and collaborated with Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus.

Jane Birkin is also known for her style of dress, which was said to be a fashion icon in the '70s. Her name has also been an inspiration for Birkin bag, an iconic bag created by Hermès.

His acting began to become a concern in a number of films such as The Blow-Up (1966), Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982). He also directed his first film, Boxes in 2007.

Birkin last acted in La femme et le TGV, a short film by Timo von Gunten and was nominated at the Academy Award. In an interview, he confirmed that the short film was his last acting work.

Then in 2017 he released Birkin/Gainsbourg: Le Symphonique, a collection of songs by Gainsbourg written for him during their special relationship.

Jane Birkin's departure leaves a deep sorrow from the European entertainment industry. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote, "Because he realized freedom, he sang beautiful words in our language, Jane Birkin is an icon of France."

"Artis yang lengkap, suaranya semanis dirinya yang merapi-pi. Dia menyantikan lagu dan gambar yang tidak pernah meninggalkan kita," katanya lagi.

Jane Birkin died at the age of 76 and left two children, six grandchildren, and his younger brother Andrew Birkin and his older brother, Linda.