French Actress Who Inspired The Hermes Birkin Bag Dies At The Age Of 76

Jane Birkin has died at the age of 76.

The London-born actress – who inspired the Hermes Birkin designer handbag – has passed away at her home in Paris.

Birkin moved to France in the 1960s and she had a high-profile romance with the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.

Her acting credits included appearances in the crime comedy ‘Kaleidoscope’, and the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ‘Death on the Nile’.

Birkin was married to James Bond composer John Barry between 1965 and 1968, and the couple had a daughter Kate Barry – who died in 2013 after falling from her fourth-floor flat in Paris – together.

However, she rose to international stardom through her romance with Gainsbourg. The celebrity duo met while co-starring in the 1969 satirical romantic comedy, ‘Slogan’. Birkin subsequently released an album of the same name, which featured the sexually explicit song ‘Je t’aime… moi non-plus’.

The controversial single topped the charts in the UK, but it was also banned on a number of radio stations due to its X-rated lyrics.

Birkin and Gainsbourg had a daughter – actress Charlotte Gainsbourg – together before they split in 1980.

The singer was also well-known for her philanthropy and humanitarian work with the likes of Amnesty International and Unicef.