Catherine Deneuve arrives for the late actress and singer's funeral Photo: Thomas Padilla/AP
French screen stars gathered on Monday to say goodbye to British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, who has passed away earlier this month after having enchanted France with her style and panache for decades.
Birkin's coffin was carried into the Church of Saint-Roch in Paris by her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, also famous singers and actors, while a crowd of onlookers gathered outside.
The church was attended by French film legends Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Isabelle Huppert, and also British actress Charlotte Rampling, who also gained great popularity in France and starred in French films.
They were joined by Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, and Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture.
Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, arrives for the ceremony at Saint-Roch Church in Paris. Photo: Thomas Padilla/AP
Birkin became famous for her tumultuous relationship with legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, as well as for her thick-accented French, which became one of her trademarks in her adopted home. 970s.
The flowers covering the square in front of the church testified to the love that Birkin had for France — her adopted country — even though she never abandoned her British and especially London roots.
The family made it clear that only close relatives and friends were allowed inside the church, but a giant screen was installed outside so that the general public could watch her.
Her voice broke with emotion, Gainsbourg paid tribute to her mother, referring to the parishioners: «And now I am an orphan.» Her father Serge died in 1991.
Members of the Birkin family at the funeral included her surviving daughters, Charlotte Gainsbourg, 51, and Lou Doillon, 40. Photo: PASCAL ROSSIGNOL/REUTERS the coffin with Irkina is brought into the church. Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP
“I can already see the void she left behind. She is my mother, our mother,» she added.
Doyon said, «Mum, thank you for all these adventures, thank you for not being ordinary, sane, or obedient.»
Many of the hundreds gathered outside had tears in their eyes. Marie-Pierre Frapard, 63, said she «came to pay her respects to our little Englishwoman.»
Birkin, who had suffered health problems in recent years that caused her to cancel concerts, was found dead in her Paris home on July 16 at the age of 76.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Birkin a «perfect artist» who «sang the most beautiful words in our language.»
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