Marianne Faithfull has died. She was 78.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” a Thursday, January 30, statement shared with the BBC read. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”
A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Faithfull is survived by her son, Nicholas, and her grandchildren.
Faithfull released over 20 albums and was best known for her 1964 hit “As Tears Go By,” which was later covered by the Rolling Stones. Faithfull dated band frontman Mick Jagger from 1966 to 1970.
“It was wonderful hanging out with the Stones, and I loved Mick,” the British star recalled to The Guardian in January 2013.
Years later, Faithfull admitted that she wasn’t sure if dating Jagger, now 81, made her a “stronger woman.”
Marianne Faithfull David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images
“I don’t know if it did. It almost destroyed me,” she told Rolling Stone in a 2021 profile. “Although it was wonderful, it was only four years. It was a wonderful time, and he was great, but I don’t think I fit into that life or what he wanted in a woman, that’s all. I couldn’t do it.”
In 2018, Faithfull told The Guardian that she was no longer in touch with Jagger.
“It’s taken me years to separate myself from the Rolling Stones,” she told the newspaper. “I never talk about Mick anymore, and I won’t talk about then.”
Jagger broke his silence on Faithfull’s death later on Thursday, sharing a social media tribute.
“I am so saddened to hear of the death of Marianne Faithfull,” he wrote via X. “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.
Faithfull divorced artist John Dunbar, with whom she shares her son, in 1966 before moving on with Jagger. When the two musicians called it quits, Faithfull moved on with Ben Brierly. She and Brierly were married between 1979 and 1986. She was later married to Giorgio Della Terza between 1988 and 1991.
In addition to her prolific acting and singing career, Faithfull has battled numerous health scares, including a battle with breast cancer in 2006.
“I have absolute faith and confidence in my fantastic medical team and, of course, I will be well again, if not better than ever,” she said in a statement at the time, postponing her concerts. “Next year’s tour, I want to assure fans, will be one big celebration.”
According to her spokesperson, Faithfull’s cancer was discovered quickly in an early stage by doctors. Faithfull was in remission by 2011.
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