Jane Birkin Dies: Singer, Actress, Serge Gainsbourg Muse Was 76

Jane Birkin, the English-French star who collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg on the risqué hit “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” died July 16, French media reported. She was 76.

She and Gainsbourg were married from 1968-80 and worked together on “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” released in 1969 – and recorded the year before, six months after they met on the set of the film Slogan. The song topped the UK chart and was Top 5 in several other European countries and Mexico but was not a hit Stateside.

The song, originally written by Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot, caused a scandal on its release for its sexual content. It was banned by radio stations across the UK, Italy and Spain, but became an enormous and instantly recognisable hit across the world.

Although born in London and a leading light of “the London scene” of the 1960s, Birkin found fame singing in French — and she lived in France from the 1970s onward. She became celebrated as a style icon throughout the late 1960s and 70s, her personal image often transcending her work onscreen. The enduring Birkin handbag was inspired by her European elegance.

Her film appearances included Blow-Up (1966) and big-budget Agatha Christie adaptations Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982).