Many stars and a crowd of fans paid their last respects to Jane Birkin on Monday. The funeral of the English singer and actress, naturalized French, took place in a church in central Paris.
The ceremony was attended by his daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, who carried in the coffin, but also by music and cinema stars such as Carole Bouquet, Catherine Deneuve, Etienne Daho, Yvan Attal, Benjamin Biolay, Chiara Mastroianni and Isabelle Huppert.
French President Brigitte Macron’s wife and Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak were also seated in the church, whose square was adorned with flowers, testifying to the national excitement sparked by the announcement of the artist’s death last Sunday, July 16, at the age of 76.
Thank you for loving us so much. […] I see your souls in pain. I can already see the void she leaves for us. She is my mother, our mother. Your mother, Charlotte Gainsbourg read, was very moved.
Lou Doillon, also steeped in emotion, recounted many moments in life spent with her mother, concluding by saying, “Mom, thank you for all these adventures.” Thank you for not being ordinary, sensible and docile. This very peaceful and reasonable world of tomorrow is already getting on my nerves.
Open in full screen mode
Jane Birkin died on July 16.
Photo: AFP / JULIEN DE ROSA
At the end of the hour and a half ceremony, the coffin was carried to the sounds of La javanaise and loud applause for several minutes.
Access to the church was reserved for family members and loved ones, but a giant screen was installed nearby.
It aired a portrait of Jane Birkin in black and white, in which she appeared with a big smile. Many of the tracks she performed, such as “And when well,” were published and received critical acclaim.
This Londoner, naturalized French but English in the collective unconscious with her delicious accent flaws, has been part of the landscape for more than half a century. Her association with Serge Gainsbourg while filming a film in the late 1960s had fueled her fame.
honors
On Monday morning, Jean-Baptiste from Burgundy (central-eastern France) emerged from the crowd present at the ceremony holding a sign that read, “Thank you, Jane Birkin and Jane Forever.”
Without it we lack the light; “I adored this dedicated artist who can empathize with important causes,” says the 66-year-old former teacher, who declined to give his name.
Gone to join your Serge, Romy and all the others… Another angel… Thank you Thank you my Jane!, responded in a message sent to AFP on Monday Alain Delon, who had filmed with her in Jacques Deray’s swimming pool.
Open in full screen mode
Many people bid a final farewell to Jane Birkin on the streets of Paris on Monday.
Photo: AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
Not only celebrities and politicians were affected by his death. Ever since the artist was found dead at her Paris home by her life assistant, anonymous fans, sometimes holding bouquets of flowers, have flocked to 5 bis rue Verneuil in Paris.
This is where she resided with Serge Gainsbourg as the pair embodied the marriage of chic and shock, accompanied by the scent of scandal of their famous duet title Je t’aime… moi non plus.
Flowers also hung on the picket fence surrounding the pool actress’s home in Brittany, north-west France.
His disappearance also caused a stir internationally. Jane Birkin was a beautiful and unique woman, according to American rock figure Iggy Pop.
The disappearance of singer Lingerie Chic, who according to those close to her died of natural causes, happened when Jane Birkin was planning to return to the stage after several health problems.