Marianne Faithfull, Legendary Singer and Actress, Dies at 78

As confirmed by her spokesperson, Marianne Faithfull, the singer and actress, has died at the age of 78.

She was born in Hampstead in December 1946 and was renowned for her prominent roles in films such as The Girl On A Motorcycle (1968) and for her hit single “As Tears Go By,” which reached the UK top 10 in 1964.

In the 1960s, she gained fame as the fiancée of Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones’ frontman. Their relationship inspired iconic songs like “Wild Horses” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Following a struggle with opiate addiction in the 1970s, she revitalized her career with the classic album “Broken English.”

Jagger paid tribute to Marianne Faithfull, describing her as “a wonderful friend, a beautiful singer, and a great actress,” and expressed his “heartbreak.”

Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull’s bandmate, expressed his profound sorrow over her passing, stating that he will “miss her.”

Ronnie Wood, the guitarist for the Rolling Stones, published two Instagram posts. One is an old photograph of him, Faithfull, and Richards in a recording studio, captioned “Farewell, dear Marianne.” The other is a more captioned photo of the duo, with the words, “Marianne will be dearly missed.” May God bless her, xx.

According to a spokesperson for Marianne, she passed away peacefully in London today, surrounded by her cherished family.

“She will be dearly missed.”

Marianne Faithfull had previously experienced a variety of health issues, such as emphysema, breast cancer, and bulimia, which were the result of years of smoking.

Marianne Faithfull was hospitalized for 22 days in 2020 after contracting Covid-19.

The doctors did not anticipate her survival; however, she recovered and, one year later, released her 21st album, She Walks in Beauty.

Her narrative is an extraordinary representation of the rock and roll era.

At 16, the Rolling Stones’ manager rescued her from obscurity and gifted her As Tears Go By, the first song ever written by Jagger and Keith Richards. She was a doe-eyed poster girl of the 1960s.

She performed her version in a folk-pop style that became her hallmark in the vibrant 60s, achieving international acclaim. Her rendition was airy and delicate.

She joined the “British Invasion” on the US music charts with her self-titled debut album and 1966’s North Country Maid.

During this time, her involvement with Jagger made her a target of tabloid scrutiny. Following their separation, she found herself homeless on the streets of Soho and struggled with a drug addiction.

Marianne Faithfull’s Later Music and Collaborations with Legends

She tentatively returned with the 1976 album Dreamin’ My Dreams, but she truly found her stride with 1979’s Broken English, influenced by the New Wave. On this album, she exhibited the ashen voice and hard-won wisdom that would characterize the second act of her career. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Recently, she worked with composers like Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, who called her an inspiration.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich expressed gratitude to Marianne Faithfull for her “unique and significant impact on our music, as well as her willingness to collaborate with us.” Over the years, other artists who have contributed include David Bowie, Lou Reed, Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Emmylou Harris, and Metallica.

She pursued a performing career concurrently with her musical endeavours. She performed on stage in Chekhov’s Three Sisters alongside Glenda Jackson and appeared as Ophelia in Hamlet. She later acknowledged that her nightly descent into lunacy was chemically enhanced.

She also played the demon in the musical The Black Rider, created by William Burroughs and Tom Waits, and portrayed God in two episodes of the sitcom Fabulous.

However, music was the place where her passion was. Her penultimate album, Negative Capability, contemplates ageing, loneliness, and grief. It was partially inspired by the loss of her old friend and fellow Rolling Stones’ paramour, Anita Pallenberg, and by the terror attacks on the Bataclan nightclub in her adopted home in Paris.

Producer Rob Ellis stated that the album featured a raw and emotional re-recording of As Weeping Goes By, which brought the entire studio to weeping and brought her full circle.

In 2009, Marianne Faithfull received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women’s World Awards and was named a commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.

Bob Harris, the presenter from BBC Radio 2 and a longtime friend of Marianne Faithfull, described her as an “encapsulation of the sixties.”

He noted that, while she was first acknowledged as Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, “people started to view her as an artist, as a creator” due to her efforts.

Harris remarked on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight, “She was remarkable, intriguing, exceptionally intelligent, and had an aristocratic background, which influenced her demeanour.”

The Marianne Faithfull experienced three marriages and divorces: initially with artist John Dunbar in 1965, followed by Ben Brierly of the punk band The Vibrators in 1979, and lastly with actor Giorgio Della Terza in 1988.

She is survived by her son, Nicholas Dunbar.