Headline

British Singer Jane Birkin Dies In Paris

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2023

Jane Birkin, the British-born singer and actor who became a style icon in her adopted France, has died, a source close to her said on Sunday. She was 76.

Birkin had been suffering from health problems in recent years that had forced her to cancel concerts.

The cause of her death was not immediately known. According to a police source, a nursing assistant found Birkin dead at her Paris home on Sunday.

With no suspicious elements found on her body or in the apartment, no investigation was to be opened, the source added.

Her agent and family were yet to confirm the death.

Birkin was catapulted to fame through her turbulent relationship with legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and her heavily accented French, which became one of her signatures in her adopted home.

With her flared jeans, mini dresses and distinctive fringe, Birkin was the ultimate It girl in the 1970s.

Once photographed in a dress that appeared transparent under the camera flashes, she quipped: “If I had known I wouldn’t have worn underwear.”

In 1984, Hermes named one of its handbags after her, after she complained to a former chief executive that she could not find a leather bag that could fit all she needed as a young mother.

The Birkin became an eye-wateringly expensive and sought-after status symbol.

The luxury brand in a statement hailed Birkin as “a dear and intimate friend” who was endowed with a “great humanity”.

– ‘A complete artist’ –

French President Emmanuel Macron called Birkin “a complete artist” who “sang the most beautiful words in our language”.

“Unimaginable to live in a world without your light in it,” singer Etienne Daho, one of her close friends, wrote on Instagram.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne hailed her as an “unforgettable icon, a unique voice and charm” who “with her music and her talent transcended generations”.

Hailing an artist “eternal in our hearts”, actor and activist Brigitte Bardot said “when someone is so pretty, so fresh, so spontaneous, with the voice of a child, they don’t have the right to die.”

“There was something about her that touched the French spirit,” artist and embroiderer Jenny Hunt told AFP outside the house Birkin once shared with Gainsbourg in Paris.

“It’s very hard to articulate, but you feel it when you see it.”

– Turbulent love –

Born in London, Birkin crossed the Channel in 1968 at the age of 22 to star in a film alongside Gainsbourg, who was 18 years her senior.

It was the start of a 13-year relationship that made them France’s most famous couple, in the spotlight as much for their bohemian and hedonistic lifestyle as for their work.

Birkin, with her soft voice and androgynous silhouette, quickly became a sex symbol, recording a steamy duo with a growling Gainsbourg in 1969, “Je t’aime… moi non plus”.

Banned on radio in several countries and condemned by the Vatican, the song was a worldwide success.

“He and I became the most famous of couples in that strange way because of ‘Je t’aime’ and because we stuck together for 13 years and he went on being my friend until the day he died. Who could ask for more?” Birkin told CNN in 2006.

“Paris became my home. I’ve been adopted here. They like my accent,” she said.

– Style icon –

The daughter of an actor and a naval officer, Birkin first married James Bond composer John Barry, with whom she had a daughter, Kate. The marriage lasted three years.

She moved to France after meeting Gainsbourg on the set of a romantic comedy in which he was her co-star.

They had a daughter, Charlotte, who became a hugely successful actor and singer.

The musical and romantic relationship between Gainsbourg and Birkin was famously tempestuous.

During one of their raging rows, Birkin tossed herself into the River Seine after throwing a custard pie in Gainsbourg’s face.

She blazed her own trail after walking out on France’s favourite bad boy in 1980.

In her around 70 films she worked with leading directors including Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, James Ivory and Agnes Varda.

But she remained forever associated with Gainsbourg, who continued to write songs for her after their split, including “Les dessous chics” about lingerie being used to try to cover up a relationship on the rocks.

“It’s the most beautiful song about separation you could ever have,” Birkin told AFP in a 2018 interview.

Her life was marked by tragedy and obstacles.

Her oldest daughter, Kate Barry, a photographer, died in an apparent suicide in 2013.

She fought leukaemia in the late 1990s and in 2021 suffered a minor stroke.

Birkin is survived by her daughter with Gainsbourg, Charlotte, and another daughter, Lou Doillon, a singer, from a 13-year relationship with French director Jacques Doillon.

Related Topics:British Singer Jane Birkin Paris

Up Next

3000 Nigerian Youths To Benefit From NCAC, China Program

Don't Miss

Full List: Police Withdraw Security Attached To Buhari’s Brother, Sylva, Gbenga Daniel, Okorocha, Ayu, Matawalle, Others

Comments

Headline

Judge Orders Closure Of Trump’s Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Migrant Camp

Published

11 hours ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A US federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration and Florida state government from bringing any new migrants to the detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and ordered much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shuttering the facility.

Florida’s government swiftly announced it would appeal the decision.

The detention centre was hastily assembled in just eight days in June with bunk beds, wire cages and large white tents at an abandoned airfield in Florida’s Everglades wetlands, home to a large population of alligators.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the centre last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

Headline

Japan City Mulls Two-hour Daily Smartphone Limit

Published

12 hours ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit, which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City, will not be binding, and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00 pm.

The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make for themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life”.

The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its-kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.

Headline

Pope Leo XIV Declares Friday Global Prayer, Fasting Day For Peace

Published

20 hours ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

Pope Leo XIV has declared Friday, August 22, a global day of prayer and fasting for peace, coinciding with the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Pope made this announcement on Wednesday during his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, as reported by Vatican News.

The appeal comes as violence continues to escalate in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and other regions facing armed conflict.

Humanitarian organisations have warned of worsening conditions, with growing numbers of displaced people and civilians caught in the crossfire.

Against this backdrop, the Pope’s call is a spiritual response aimed at awakening both consciences and actions.

“Too many innocent lives are being lost, and too many families are bearing the weight of wars that seem endless.

“We cannot remain indifferent,” Pope Leo said.

He urged the faithful to participate through fasting, prayer, and acts of charity, stressing that these spiritual disciplines are not symbolic gestures alone but catalysts for change.

The chosen date, August 22, coincides with the liturgical celebration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast that honours Mary as a figure of intercession and peace.

By aligning the day with this Marian feast, Pope Leo highlighted the Church’s tradition of entrusting global concerns to Mary’s care.

“Let us ask Mary, Queen of Peace, to help nations rediscover the path of peace. May she intercede for people torn apart by hatred and violence,” he added.

Leaders from conflict zones quickly voiced their support.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said, “Prayer is not a magic formula, but it opens hearts where distrust and hatred have grown. It is a step toward rebuilding trust.”

In Ukraine, Bishop Vitalij Skomarovskyj welcomed the initiative as a sign of solidarity, saying, “This call reminds us we are not forgotten. Prayer and fasting have great power; they can change the course of history.”

Alongside his call, Pope Leo reflected on the Church’s teaching that peace cannot thrive on justice alone; it also requires forgiveness.

Drawing from St. John Paul II’s legacy, he said, “True peace cannot exist without justice, but neither can it survive without forgiveness. Forgiveness is not surrender; it is the strength that prevents new wounds.”

This message resonates amid current debates over war reparations, ceasefire negotiations, and transitional justice processes in conflict regions.