PARIS  –  French film icon Brigitte Bardot, a symbol of sexual liberation of the 1950s and sixties who turned her back on cinema to devote herself to protecting animals, has died aged 91, her foundation said Sunday. Bardot was hospitalised in October and in November released a statement denying rumours that she had died. The foundation did not say when or where she died however. “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement sent to news men. Tributes were immediately paid to the star who was became known as “BB” in her home country.  Born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off traditional Catholic household. Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier. Bardot became a global star after appearing in “And God created Woman” in 1956, and went on to appear in about 50 more movies before giving up acting in 1973.  She turned her back on celebrity to look after abandoned animals, saying she was “sick of being beautiful every day”.President Emmanuel Macron called Bardot a “legend” of the 20th century.  “With her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials (BB), her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, and her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom,” he wrote on X, referring to the female symbol of the French republic. “We mourn a legend of the century.”  dot withdrew to her home in the Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez where she devoted herself to fighting for animals. Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, “The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot”. To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.  Bardot went on to found the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986, which now has 70,000 donors and around 300 employees, according to its website. “I’m very proud of the first chapter of my life,” she told AFP in a 2024 interview ahead of her 90th birthday.  “It gave me fame, and that fame allows me to protect animals — the only cause that truly matters to me.” She added that she lived in “silent solitude” in her home “La Madrague”, surrounded by nature and content to be “fleeing humanity”. Unlike other beloved French New Wave stars, Bardot was a divisive figure who alienated many fans with her political views.  She was convicted five times for hate speech, mostly about Muslims, but also the inhabitants of the French island of Reunion whom she described as “savages.”   A supporter of far-right politician Marine Le Pen, Bardot declared herself “against the Islamisation of France” in a 2003 book, citing “our ancestors, our grandfathers, our fathers have for centuries given their lives to push out successive invaders.”  Jordan Bardella, the head of Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party, was among the first to pay hommage. “Today the French people have lost the Marianne they so loved, whose beauty astonished the world,” he wrote on X.  In her final book, Mon BBcedaire (“My BB Alphabet”), published weeks before her death, she fired barbs at what she described as a “dull, sad, submissive” France and at her home town of Saint-Tropez, now packed with the wealthy tourists she helped attract. 

We mourn a legend of the century, says French President Emmanuel Macron

“Her films, her voice, her dazzling fame, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne – Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. A French existence, a universal radiance. She moved us. We mourn a legend of the century.”

“Mrs Brigitte Bardot was a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to give up her prestigious career in order to devote her life and energy to the defence of animals and to her Foundation,” it said.

FRENCH FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN JORDAN BARDELLA

“The French people today lose the Marianne they so deeply loved and whose beauty astonished the world. Brigitte Bardot was a woman of heart, conviction, and character. A passionate patriot and a lover of animals that she protected throughout her life, she alone embodied an entire era of French history, and above all a certain idea of courage and freedom.”