Marianne Faithfull, the iconic voice of 1960s British folk-rock, has passed away at the age of 78 in London. Known for hits such as As Tears Go By and a life marked by triumphs and struggles, she also made her mark in film and theater.
The British singer and actress Marianne Faithfull, famous for the song As Tears Go By, died peacefully in London at the age of 78, a spokesperson announced Thursday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of singer, songwriter, and actress Marianne Faithfull. She passed away peacefully in London today, surrounded by her family. She will be deeply missed,” the spokesperson shared in a statement to AFP.
A leading figure in the 1960s folk-rock scene, Faithfull was discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Oldham. At just 17 years old, she achieved her first major success with As Tears Go By (1964), a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Her career, however, was anything but smooth. Struggles with drug addiction and personal difficulties punctuated her life, but she also found success in theater and cinema, working with renowned directors like Jean-Luc Godard, Sofia Coppola, and Patrice Chéreau.
Born on December 29, 1946, in London, Faithfull came from a unique background—her father was an officer and spy for the British Crown, while her mother was an Austrian baroness with Hungarian-Jewish roots.
Following the success of As Tears Go By, she continued to release hits like Come and Stay With Me, This Little Bird, and Summer Nights. However, her relationship with Mick Jagger drew her into the Rolling Stones' whirlwind lifestyle, which she later described as a “constant circus.” During this time, she developed a heroin addiction that would alter the course of her life.
The 1970s saw her enduring a series of devastating events: a suicide attempt, the end of her relationship with Jagger, the loss of custody of her son from a previous marriage, and a descent into addiction that left her living in squats and on the streets of Soho in London. She survived a near-fatal overdose, but her voice was permanently altered by years of heavy drug use and smoking.
Faithfull reinvented herself during the punk era with raw, defiant tracks like Why D'Ya Do It?, a biting cover of John Lennon’s Working Class Hero, and her critically acclaimed album Broken English (1979). After undergoing rehab, she experienced a resurgence in the 1990s, returning to music, the stage, and the screen.
Her extraordinary journey, filled with both anguish and resilience, cemented her legacy as a true icon of folk-rock and a deeply compelling figure in the world of art and entertainment.
With AFP
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