Brigitte Bardot, the French actress nicknamed the original “sex kitten,” has died, the foundation said. She was 91 years old.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with great sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-famous actress and singer. She chose to give up a prestigious career and dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” the foundation, which fights for animal protection, announced on its website on Sunday.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation wants to honor the memory of an outstanding woman who gave everything for a world that was more respectful of animals,” it added.
“We extend our deepest condolences to her family, loved ones, the city of Saint-Tropez and its residents, and all who share this cause. The Foundation continues to champion Brigitte Bardot’s work more than ever.”
Bruno Jacquelin, director of the foundation, told The Associated Press that Bardot was hospitalized last month and died at his home in the south of France. We do not make arrangements for funerals or memorial services.
Bardot’s cause of death has not been disclosed.
French President Emmanuel Macron gave X a moving tribute to Bardot.
“Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her grief, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne – Brigitte Bardot was the embodiment of a free life,” President Macron tweeted on Sunday.
“A French presence, a universal radiance. She touched us. We mourn the legend of the century,” he added.
Bardot gained attention as an international sex symbol in 1956 when she starred as a sexualized teenage bride in the film “And God Created Woman.”
The film, directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, featured a scene in which Bardot danced naked on a table, and was a groundbreaking depiction of female sexuality in a conservative era.
Bardot retired from acting in 1973 after appearing in nearly 30 films.
Ten years later, she re-emerged as an animal rights lobbyist, selling movie memorabilia and jewelry before founding the Animal Welfare Foundation.
Bardot is survived by her fourth husband, Bernard Dormal, her estranged son, Nicolas Jacques Charrier, and her sister.
