British rock icon Marianne Faithfull dies aged 78

Published by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Photos by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Published on January 30, 2025 at 08:06 p.m.
British singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull died in London on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The sixties rock icon and rebel muse of The Rolling Stones was 78 years old.

Considered the British rock icon of the sixties, Marianne Faithfull died on January 30, 2025 at the age of 78."It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. She passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her family. She will be sorely missed", we wrote in a press release relayed by Le Parisien.

Since the health crisis, the singer-songwriter, born in London on December 29 1946, had kept a much lower profile in the media. The British artist had contracted a severe form of Covid-19 in April 2020. She was hospitalized for three weeks. Several months later, Marianne Faithfull confessed to suffering from after-effects directly linked to Covid-19, and feared she would never be able to sing again. But in 2021, Marianne Faithfull finally released"She Walks in Beauty", her last opus. In it, the artist shared her love of English romantic poetry, with compositions by Warren Ellis and contributions from Nick Cave, Brian Eno and Vincent Ségal.

Marianne Faithfull had already released some twenty other albums, including her eponymous debut in 1965. This landmark album includes the hit " As Tears Go By ", a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, and " This Little Bird ".

After a much-publicized love affair with Mick Jagger from 1966 to 1970, the British artist went through a difficult period, living on the streets of London's Soho district and taking hard drugs. It was during this period that Marianne Faithfull 's voice changed, becoming deeper and more cracked as a result of severe laryngitis. A voice recognizable among a thousand and which would eventually become the artist's vocal signature.

It wasn't until 1979 and the release of"Broken English" that Marianne Faithfull was back in the spotlight. The album, a commercial and critical success, included the hit"The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" and John Lennon's"Working Class Hero".

Less than 10 years later, the singer released"Strange Weather", her 10th studio album. An album which, she claims, prompted her to put an end to her heroin addiction after 17 years.

In the 2000s, Marianne Faithfull made a name for herself once again, with sublime opuses and landmark songs featuring multiple collaborations (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Rufus Wainwright, Keith Richards, Sean Lennon, Jarvis Cocker, Cat Power, Antony, Damon Albarn, Mark Lanegan, Laurent Voulzy, Anna Calvi, Brian Eno, Adrian Utley from Portishead...). And let's not forget her other collaborations, with Metallica in 1997, Étienne Daho in 2003, and Lulu Gainsbourg in 2011. With her unique voice and rebellious spirit, Marianne Faithfull has become the muse of many a rocker over the years.

The singer-songwriter was also an actress. She starred in"Qu'arrivera-t-il après?" (1967),"La Motocyclette" (1968) and"Hamlet" (1969).

Proof of her renown was Marianne Faithfull 's inclusion on VH1's list of the " 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll ", and her appointment by the French government as Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. With the announcement of her death, a whole page of Sixties rock history has been turned.

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