Galaxy of French stars pay final farewell to Jane Birkin

Stars of the French screen on Monday turned
out to bid a final farewell to the British-born actor and singer Jane Birkin
who died earlier this month after charming France for decades with her style
and panache.

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 onlookers also gathered outside.

Those present inside the church included French screen legends such as
Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Isabelle Huppert as well as fellow
British actor Charlotte Rampling, who has also won a major following in
France and starred in French-language movies.

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

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.

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 even if
she never turned away from her British and especially London roots.

The family had made clear that access to the inside of the church was only
allowed for close family and friends but a giant screen was set up outside to
allow the wider public to follow.

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”.

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 July 16,
aged 76.

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