France says goodbye to Jane Birkin, its favorite Englishwoman

Stars and many anonymous people came to say a last farewell to Jane Birkin on Monday, “ex-fan of the sixties” as she sang, on the occasion of the funeral of the favorite Englishwoman of the French, in the Saint-Roch church, in the center of Paris.

The ceremony took place in the presence of his daughters, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, who carried the coffin inside, but also celebrities from music and cinema, such as Carole Bouquet, Catherine Deneuve, Étienne Daho, Yvan Attal, Benjamin Biolay, Chiara Mastroianni or Isabelle Huppert, welcomed by the manager of the artist.

The wife of the French President, Brigitte Macron, and the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, also took their place in the church, whose square was covered with flowers, testifying to the national excitement aroused by the announcement of the disappearance of the singer and actress, Sunday July 16 at 76 years old.

Access to the church was reserved for family and friends, but a giant screen was installed nearby to “associate the general public”, allowing more than 1,500 people, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP), to gather.

” My mom “

“Thank you for loving us so much. […] I see your souls in pain. I can already see the void she leaves us. She’s my mom, our mom. Your mom, ”read Charlotte Gainsbourg, very moved.

Lou Doillon, also marked by emotion, recounted many moments of life shared with her mother, before concluding by saying: “Mom, thank you for all these adventures. Thank you for not being ordinary, reasonable and docile. This very peaceful and reasoned world of tomorrow is already annoying me. »

The ceremony, which lasted 1 hour 30 minutes, was celebrated according to the Anglican rite and punctuated by poignant tributes, including that of the doctor who followed her during her leukemia. The coffin was then carried to the sound of Javaneseto loud applause from the audience.

Jane Birkin, Londoner naturalized French but remained English in the collective unconscious with her delicious accent mistakes, had been part of the landscape for more than half a century and her meeting with Serge Gainsbourg at the end of the 1960s.

“Thank you Jane”

“Without her, we lack the light, I adored this committed woman artist, capable of empathy for essential causes”, commented Jean-Baptiste, who came from Burgundy with a sign indicating “Thank you Jane Birkin” and “Jane Forever”.

“We came to pay tribute to the one who supported us from the start by cutting a lock of hair after the murder of Mahsa Amini” in Iran, explained Mahasti, in her fifties, also carrying a sign: “Thank you, Jane, Iranian women will not forget you”.

“One day, I saw her at the Odéon, I ran up to her and told her that I loved her! She gave me a kiss and wished me a happy new year”, said Christophe Fougeray, 45, “in love with Jane since childhood”.

“Go join your Serge, Romy and all the others… One more angel… Thank you thank you, my Jane! “Reacted in a message sent Monday to AFP Alain Delon, who had filmed with her in The swimming pool by Jacques Deray.

Since the artist was discovered dead at her Parisian home by her life assistant, anonymous fans flock, sometimes with a bouquet of flowers, to 5 bis rue Verneuil, where she lived with Serge Gainsbourg when the couple embodied the alliance of chic and shock, escorted by the scent of scandal of their famous duet title I love you…me neither.

Flowers were also hung on the picket fence around the house the actress owned in Brittany, in northwestern France.

Her disappearance also moved internationally, like Iggy Pop, figure of American rock, who hailed “a beautiful and unique woman”.

The disappearance of the singer chic underwear, died of natural causes according to those around him, occurred when Jane Birkin was planning to go back on stage after multiple health problems.

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