British singer and actress Marianne Faithful has died yesterday, January 30, aged 78. A spokesperson for her music company Republic Media said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.
“Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.
She will be dearly missed.”
The pop icon, known for songs like ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan ’, had previously struggled with health, battling bulimia, breast cancer and emphysema caused by decades of smoking.
In 2020, she was hospitalized after contracting Covid-19, and doctors didn’t expect her to survive – ever resilient, she pulled through and released her 21st album, ‘She Walks in Beauty‘, a year later.
Tributes have come in, with Mick Jagger posting on Instagram describing her “a wonderful friend, a beautiful singer and a great actress,” saying he was “so saddened”.
His bandmates Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods also posted online, paying their respects. Richards gave his “heartfelt condolences to Marianne’s family”, and Wood said that “Marianne will be dearly missed.”
The singer was married and divorced three times, having her only child with artist John Dunbar. She is survived by her son, Nicholas Dunbar.
Born in Hampstead in December 1946, Marianne was known for hits like ‘Come and Stay with Me’ and ‘As Tears Go By’, and roles in films such as 1968’s The Girl On A Motorcycle. She was a prolific entertainer, releasing six albums throughout the 60’s, and even contributing backing vocals for the Beatles.
She was also famous for her relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. She was first discovered by the Stones’ manager at age 16 and given ‘As Tears Go By’, one of Jagger and Richards earliest compositions. Her soft, breathy voice and the songs folky arrangement were a hit, and the song made the top 10 in the UK.
Her whirlwind romance with Jagger was a hot topic for the tabloids. She was infamously found by police wearing only a bear skin rug when they raided Keith Richard’s home in 1967, with her and Jagger subsequently arrested.
Once her and Mick had split, she went through a rough period in her life, suffering from anorexia and heroin addiction. She spent two years homeless on the streets of Soho, before she started living in a squat.
She then bounced back, re-emerging in the late 70’s with two albums. Her 1979 new-wave influenced album, ‘Broken English’, may be her standout work. Included today in various top album lists, the record was a commercial and critical success, even earning her a grammy nomination. She also received high praise for her 1987 album, ‘Strange Weather’, reinventing her sound with blues and jazz influences.
She also had a productive career in film, television, and stage, with an output spanning nearly six decades. She first appeared as herself in Jean-Luc Godards’ 1966 crime comedy film Made in Usa.
Other notable roles include in I’ll Never Forget What’sisname, famously being the first person to use the F-word in mainstream film. Her first lead part came in The Girl on a Motorcycle, playing a newlywed who absconds on her motorbike to meet with a recent lover.
More recently, she starred in 2007’s Irina Palm, with a performance that received a nomination for a European Film Award for Best Actress. She also provided voice work for the 2021 remake of Dune as a Bene Gesserit, and in 2023’s Wild Summon.
