Paris bids final farewell to Jane Birkin, the most British of French icons

Hundreds of fans joined film legends and family members to bid farewell to British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin at her funeral in Paris on Monday.

02:08

Fans gather to watch the funeral ceremony for late British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin near the Saint-Roch church in Paris on July 24, 2023. AP - Thomas Padilla

The coffin of Birkin was carried into the Saint-Roch church in Paris by her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon – both also celebrated singers and actors – while a crowd of fans also gathered outside.

French screen legends such as Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Isabelle Huppert attended the ceremony.

They were joined by French first lady Brigitte Macron and Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak.

Birkin's songs, including "La Javanaise", played through speakers across Paris's first arrondissement.

Birkin was catapulted to fame through her turbulent relationship with legendary singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.

The flowers covering the square in front of the church were evidence of the affection with which Birkin was held in France, her adopted country.

Pallbearers carry Jane Birkin's coffin into Saint-Roch church for the very private funeral ceremony. AP - Thomas Padilla

The family had made clear that access to the church was reserved to close family and friends, but a giant screen was set up outside to allow the wider public to follow the ceremony. 

A sense of emptiness

Her voice choking with emotion, Charlotte Gainsbourg paid tribute to her mother as she addressed the congregation saying: "Now I am an orphan". Her father Serge Gainsbourg died in 1991.

"I see already the emptiness that she has left behind, she is my mum, our mum," she added.

Doillon said: "Mum, thank you for all these adventures, thank you for not being ordinary, reasonable or docile".

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon follow the coffin of their mother, late singer, actress and muse Jane Birkin, as they leave after the funeral ceremony at the Church of Saint-Roch. REUTERS - PASCAL ROSSIGNOL

Many of the hundreds gathered outside had tears in their eyes. Marie-Pierre Frapart, 63, said she had "come to pay tribute to our little Englishwoman".

Birkin, who had been suffering from health problems in recent years that had forced her to cancel concerts, was found dead at her Paris home on 16 July, aged 76.

French President Emmanuel Macron, currently in New Caledonia, had called Birkin "a complete artist" who "sang the most beautiful words in our language".

A woman hangs flowers in tribute to Jane Birkin at the entrance to the home of late singer Serge Gainsbourg where Birkin lived for a number of years. AFP - GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT

(with AFP)