The stars of the French screen said their final goodbyes to British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin on Monday. Birkin, who captivated France for decades with her style and panache, died earlier this month.
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Birkin’s coffin was carried into Paris’ Saint-Roch church by her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, both famous singers and actors, as a crowd of onlookers gathered outside the church.
Those at the church included French screen legends such as Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Isabelle Huppert, as well as British actor Charlotte Rampling, who has also gained a huge following in France and starred in French-language films.
They were joined by French First Lady Brigitte Macron and Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak.
Birkin shot to fame through her tumultuous relationship with the legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, as well as her strong French, which became one of the hallmarks of her adopted home.
With flared jeans, mini dresses and unique tassels, Birkin was the ultimate ’70s ‘It Girl’.
The flowers covering the square in front of the church testify to Birkin’s fondness for her adopted home, France, though she never gave up her English roots, especially London ones.
The family made it clear that only close family and friends were allowed inside the church, but a giant screen was set up outside so the wider public could follow along.
Charlotte Gainsbourg, her voice choked with emotion, paid tribute to her mother as she addressed the congregation: “Now I’m an orphan”. Her father, Serge Gainsbourg, died in 1991.
“I’ve seen the void she left behind, she was my mom, our mom,” she added.
Du Yong said: “Mom, thank you for all these adventures, thank you for being extraordinary, unreasonable, and untactful.”
Many of the hundreds of people gathered outside had tears in their eyes. Marie-Pierre Frapart, 63, said she “came here to pay tribute to our little British women”.
Birkin, who had been forced to cancel concerts in recent years due to health problems, was found dead at his Paris home on July 16 at the age of 76.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Birkin “a consummate artist” who “sang the most beautiful words in our language”.
(AFP)