Iconic British artist Marianne Faithfull dies aged 78, leaving a legacy of music and film
by Kerri-Ann Roper and Casey Cooper-Fiske PA · ChronicleLiveMarianne Faithfull, the renowned singer and actress, has passed away at the age of 78, according to a spokesperson. Known for hits such as As Tears Go By, penned by The Rolling Stones' Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Faithfull also showcased her acting skills in films like The Girl On A Motorcycle alongside French actor Alain Delon, and various theatre productions.
A statement read: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the 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."
Faithfull's singing career took off in 1964 after being discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Her debut album, Marianne Faithfull, was released in 1965, featuring top 10 hits As Tears Go By and Come And Stay With Me.
Concurrently, she released Come My Way, an album largely composed of folk covers. From 1966 to 1970, Faithfull was famously involved with Sir Mick following his break up with model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton.
Her first hit, As Tears Go By, reached number nine on the charts, followed by a string 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 for the Rolling Stones’ 1971 album Sticky Fingers, releasing her own version in 1969 featuring guitarist Ry Cooder and Jack Nitzsche on piano.
Faithfull was initially credited as a writer on her own version's first Decca release, but was later omitted, leading to a legal dispute that eventually saw her credited on both the Stones and her own reissues. She is famously remembered for being found wearing only a rug during a drug raid at Redlands, Rolling Stones guitarist Richards' country house in 1967.
After her split with Sir Mick, Faithfull endured two years of homelessness in Soho due to heroin addiction before residing in a squat. It's been suggested that she inspired Stones songs like 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want' and 'Dear Doctor', and reportedly, The Beatles’ 'And Your Bird Can Sing' was influenced by her relationship with Sir Mick.
In 1979, she made a comeback with the new wave-influenced album 'Broken English', now considered a classic. Faithfull reinvented herself as a jazz and blues singer in 1987 with the critically acclaimed 'Strange Weather', and entered rehab in the same decade.
Her final album, 'She Walks In Beauty' (2021), was an experimental collaboration with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ Australian multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis.
Recently, she has seen a resurgence in popularity, admired by celebrities like Kate Moss and Courtney Love. In 2006, it was announced that she had fully recovered from breast cancer.
The disease was diagnosed by French doctors in September, causing the star to postpone her world tour.
The cancer was detected at its "earliest stages" for the artist, and after undergoing surgery, she announced plans to continue her tour the following year. Reflecting on the ordeal, she was quoted at the time saying: "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 diagnosis came two years after Faithfull, who once smoked heavily, had to abandon her European tour due to a collapse backstage.
At that time, she was diagnosed with exhaustion and required three months of rest. In 2005, despite filmmaker Duncan Roy's announcement that she would step down from his adaptation of The Picture Of Dorian Gray due to a heart attack, Faithfull denied these claims.
In April 2020, it emerged she had been hospitalised with Covid-19, but thankfully, she left the facility after three weeks. Born to a British military officer father and an Austro-Hungarian Jewish baroness mother, Faithfull has enjoyed a diverse career; her recent appearances include Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, playing God in Absolutely Fabulous opposite Anita Pallenberg's devil, her early role in I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘Is Name (1967) with Orson Welles, and voicing Bene Gesserit Ancestor in Dune (2021).
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