Fashion icon Jane Birkin recently passed away at the age of 76 on July 16, 2023, Sunday at her apartment in Paris. The unfortunate news of her demise was confirmed by the French Ministry of Culture through a tweet.
Emmanuel Macron, the French President also mourned the loss of the London-born actress on the social media platform Twitter. He wrote, “Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.”
Macron went on to say, “A complete artist, her voice was as gentle as her commitments were ardent. She bequeaths us a legacy of songs and images that will never leave us.”
When we shed some light on the personal life of the French singer and actress, she was married to composer John Barry. Keep scrolling further to dive deep into Jane Birkin’s personal life.
Was Jane Birkin married?
The answer to the above question is a big yes. Throughout the course of her life, the Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus singer walked down the aisle once. She tied the knot with British composer John Barry in the 1960s.
As per a report by The U.S. Sun, the two of them crossed paths for the first time when Barry cast Jane for his musical Passion Flower Hotel. The pair exchanged their vows in the year 1965. However, their union was short-lived. They pulled the plug on their romance in 1968 after 3 years of marriage.
Here’s everything you need to know about Jane Birkin’s ex-husband John Barry (including his profession, background, and more)
Jane Birkin’s former spouse John Barry who was a British composer and conductor of film music was born John Barry Prendergast, in York, England. His British mother was a classical pianist. On the other hand, his Irish dad, John Xavier “Jack” Prendergast was a projectionist during the silent film era.
Due to his dad’s profession, cinema was a big part of Barry’s childhood. He had 3 elder siblings: two older brothers and one older sister. Before venturing into the world of movies, he served in the British army.
Barry was well-noted for composing scores for eleven of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987. He also wrote scores for movies like Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves, The Cotton Club, Game of Death, The Scarlet Letter, Queen of Scots, and Chaplin amongst many others.
During his illustrious career, John received a total of 5 Academy Awards: two for the British drama film Born Free and one for each The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves.
John Barry was married four times
Yeah, you read that right. The Golden Globe nominee was married to Barbara Pickard from 1959 to 1963. Then, he got hitched to the French icon Jane Birkin in 1965. The pair got divorced in 1968.
Barry went on to marry Jane Sidney in the year 1968. The pair separated in 1978 after 10 years of marriage. He said ‘I Do’ to his fourth wife Laurie Barry in 1978 and the couple was together until his death in 2011. He had 4 kids.
How many kids did Jane Birkin have?
Jane Birkin was a doting mom to her 3 children. During their marriage, the prominent actress Birkin and her then-husband John Barry welcomed a daughter named Katy Barry. Jane gave birth to the pair’s first child, daughter Katy on April 8, 1967, in London.
The former couple’s daughter Katy Barry was a fashion photographer by profession. It has been reported by various outlets that she worked for Vogue and The Sunday Times magazine. Unfortunately, she passed on December 11, 2013, in Paris, France. She fell from her fourth-floor apartment. At the time of her death, she was 46 years old.
Soon after her split from Barry, Jane started dating French actor and singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The pair had a romantic and creative relationship. They met on the set of the movie Slogan in the year 1968.
Birkin and Serge welcomed their first child together, daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1971. It was Jane’s second baby. Their daughter joined them earthside on July 21, 1971, in London. Their daughter Charlotte followed in the footsteps of her famous mother and she decided to pursue a career in the entertainment world.
At the moment, Charlotte is an actress and musician. Throughout her acting career, she was a part of films such as Independence Day (1996) and Paroles et Musique (1984). As per reports, Jane and Serge called it quits in 1980 due to Gainsbourg’s alcoholism and violence.
Then, Jane known for inspiring the famous Birkin bag by French luxury house Hermes moved on in her life with director Jacques Doillon. At that point, she gave birth to her third daughter, Lou Doillon, with Jacques Doillon.
Birkin’s youngest child, Lou is a model and musician. She arrived in the world on September 4, 1982, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She began modeling at the young age of 16.
Over the years, Lou has collaborated with many renowned brands like Mango, H&M, Gap, Maje, and Chloé. In addition to this, she has also teamed up with Sophia Loren and Penélope Cruz in the Pirelli Calendar. She has also worked with photographers Inez and Vinoodh, Mario Sorrenti, Mario Testino, and Terry Richardson.
During an earlier media interaction, Birkin spilled the beans on her love life and said, “Meeting Jacques was a real turning point in my career. In my private life, after I left Serge, Jacques and I lived together for thirteen years, and had Lou.”
The Slogan actress and the movie director went their separate ways in the 1990s. As per a 2007 report by The Observer, Doillon “could not compete with her grief for Gainsbourg” who passed away in 1991, and that she had lived alone since their separation.
Then, Jane stated that Jacques lost interest in casting her in his movies and she felt “pain for Jacques going off with all these young girls making all these films all the time”. After that, she was rumored to be dating French writer Olivier Rolin.
What was your favorite Jane Birkin movie? Kindly let us know in the comments section below. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of entertainment.
