Sir Mick Jagger leads tributes to ex-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull

Sir Mick Jagger has paid a heartbreaking tribute to his former girlfriend Marianne Faithfull following her death at the age of 78. 

The Swinging Sixties pop icon and actress died peacefully in London today, her spokesperson has said. 

Posting on X, Sir Mick wrote: 'I am so saddened to hear of the death of Marianne Faithfull. 

'She was so much part of my life for so long. She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful singer and a great actress. 

'She will always be remembered.' 

From 1966 to 1970, Faithfull was in a highly publicised relationship with Sir Mick following his split from model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton.

One of her best hits, As Tears Go by, was co-written by The Rolling Stones' star and Keith Richards.

Sharing his own tribute on Instagram, Keith wrote: 'My heartfelt condolences to Marianne’s family! I am so sad and will miss her!! Love, Keith.'

Among the other stars to pay tribute was JK Rowling, who posted a picture of Faithfull's album cover Broken English, with the caption: 'One of my favourite albums of all time. RIP Marianne.'

The critically acclaimed album, released in 1979, was widely seen as a comeback for the singer after years of suffering from heroin addiction and homelessness. 

Bianca Jagger, who was married to Mick from 1971 until 1978, also shared her condolences on social media. 

She said: 'I am deeply saddened to learn that Marianne Faithfull has passed away. 

'She was a wonderful singer and a talented actress. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with her son, her family and loved ones.'

Singer and songwriter Tim Burgess spoke of how Faithfull's album Broken English 'blew his mind' when he first heard it on a school trip in 1980 in a tribute on X. 

He said: 'She was such a free spirit and true talent. 

'We met in Amsterdam in 1994 and spent an afternoon chatting and in between interviews - going to listen to Why D'Ya Do it, right now.'

Actor and writer James Dreyfus also wrote: RIP Marianne Faithfull. Was lucky enough to work with her on Ab Fab. She was absolutely lovely…'

Tony Blackburn OBE added: 'Sorry to hear that 69's singer Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78. 

'She gave us some great songs to play. R.I.P.'

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Faithfull began her singing career in 1964, after being discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

She released her self-titled debut album in 1965, which featured her UK number nine hit single, along with number four hit Come And Stay With Me, at the same time as follow-up LP Come My Way, largely made up of folk covers.

Her first hit, As Tears Go By, charted at number nine, and was followed by a series of successful singles, including Come And Stay With Me, This Little Bird and Summer Nights.

Faithfull co-wrote Sister Morphine with Sir Mick and Richards from the Rolling Stones' 1971 album Sticky Fingers, releasing her own version in 1969 featuring guitarist Ry Cooder and Jack Nitzsche on piano.

She was credited as a writer on the initial Decca release of her own version, but omitted from later releases prompting a legal dispute which eventually saw her credited on both the Stones and her own reissues.

She was famously found wearing nothing but a rug at a drugs bust at Redlands, the country house of Rolling Stones guitarist Richards in 1967.

Following her split with Sir Mick, Faithfull spent two years on the streets of Soho while addicted to heroin before living in a squat.

It has also been claimed that Faithfull inspired Stones songs including You Can't Always Get What You Want and Dear Doctor, while it has also been reported that The Beatles' And Your Bird Can Sing was inspired by her and Sir Mick's relationship.

She returned to release the new wave-influenced album Broken English in 1979, which is now regarded as a classic.

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Faithfull re-invented herself in 1987 as a jazz and blues singer with the critically acclaimed Strange Weather, and in the same decade went into rehab.

Her final album was an experimental collaboration with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds' Australian multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, called She Walks In Beauty (2021).

Recently she has enjoyed a resurgence and is said to be admired by the likes of Kate Moss and Courtney Love.

In 2006, it was announced that she had made a full recovery from breast cancer.

Doctors in France had diagnosed the disease in September, forcing the star to postpone her world tour.

But the cancer was found in its 'earliest stages' and following surgery, she announced she would resume her tour the next year.

She was quoted as saying at the time: 'It has been an extraordinary experience and, in many ways, extremely positive.

'I didn't realise how many true friends I had. I feel so lucky and loved and thank everybody for all their good thoughts.'

The breast cancer came two years after Faithfull, a former smoker, was forced to cancel her European tour after collapsing backstage at a gig.

The singer was diagnosed with exhaustion and ordered to rest for three months.

In 2005, filmmaker Duncan Roy announced that Faithfull had stepped down from his screen version of The Picture Of Dorian Gray because she had suffered a heart attack, which she denied.

In April 2020, it was announced that the singer had been admitted to hospital after contracting Covid, she was released from hospital three weeks later.

The daughter of a British military officer and an Austro-Hungarian Jewish baroness, Faithfull recently appeared in Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette.

She made a guest appearance as God in the TV sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, with actress Anita Pallenberg, the former girlfriend of Stones members Brian Jones and Keith Richards, playing the devil.

One of her earliest films was I'll Never Forget What's 'Is Name (1967), alongside Orson Welles, and she recently provided the voice of Bene Gesserit Ancestor in Dune (2021).