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Françoise Hardy, one of France’s most beloved singer-songwriters, has died at the age of 80. Her son, Thomas Dutronc, also a musician, confirmed her passing on social media, stating, “Mum is gone.”

Hardy emerged onto the music scene in 1962, becoming a cultural icon who influenced artists like Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. Renowned for her melancholic ballads, she epitomized France’s Yé-yé pop movement, which was influenced by English music. Some of her most famous songs include “Tous les garçons et les filles” (“All the Boys and Girls”), “Comment te dire adieu” (“It Hurts to Say Goodbye”), and “Mon amie la rose” (“My Friend the Rose”). Her biggest hit in the UK was “All Over The World,” the English version of “Dans le monde entier,” reaching number 16 in June 1965.

Born in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944 and raised by her mother, Hardy was inspired by Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard, among others, listening to them on Radio Luxembourg. She signed her first record deal at 17 and had her breakthrough in 1962 with “Tous les garçons et les filles,” a hit in both France and the UK.

Her style caught the attention of fashion designers, leading her to model for Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, who created a famous gold plate dress for her. Mick Jagger once described her as the “ideal woman,” and Bob Dylan wrote several love letters to her, even addressing her in a poem on his 1964 album “Another Side of Bob Dylan.”

One of Hardy’s notable performances was in 1968 with “Comment te dire adieu,” a French adaptation by Serge Gainsbourg of an English song. The song, about a painful goodbye to a man with a “heart of pyrex,” has been covered numerous times. Throughout her career, she collaborated with artists like Blur and Iggy Pop.

Besides her music career, Hardy was an actress in films by directors like Jean-Luc Godard, Roger Vadim, and John Frankenheimer, and she was also a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, with a particular interest in astrology from the 1970s.

Hardy was married to singer Jacques Dutronc, with whom she had her son, Thomas. Although they separated in the late 1980s, she often referred to Dutronc as the love of her life. Diagnosed with lymphoma in 2004, Hardy’s health declined over the years. In 2015, she was in an induced coma for weeks following a fall, and in 2021, she revealed she had cancer in one of her ears and felt “close to the end.”

Her career spanned over five decades, with nearly 30 albums released. Her final album, “Personne D’Autre” (“Nobody Else”), came out in 2018. Rolling Stone ranked her number 162 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2023. Following her death, France’s Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, paid tribute, calling her an “eternal legend of French song” who touched the heart of an entire nation.

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Jane Birkin, a renowned singer, actress, and fashion icon, has passed away at the age of 76. Born in London, Birkin gained fame singing in French and eventually relocated to France in the 1970s. She was widely known for her personal and artistic relationship with songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, particularly for their iconic duet “Je T’aime…moi non plus.” The song, recorded in 1968, faced controversy and bans in various countries due to its explicit lyrics but also garnered international attention.

Birkin and Gainsbourg were together for 12 years, during which they had a daughter named Charlotte Gainsbourg, who also became an acclaimed actress and singer. Despite their tumultuous relationship, they remained friends after their split, and Gainsbourg continued to write songs for Birkin. Birkin wrote about the challenges of their relationship, including violence and Gainsbourg’s alcoholism, in her 2020 diaries.

Beyond her music and acting career, Birkin had a significant influence on the fashion world. She inspired the creation of the Birkin handbag by Hermès in 1984. The bag became highly sought after and carried a hefty price tag, with waiting lists that extended for months or even years.

Throughout her life, Birkin was an advocate for various causes and campaigned for animal welfare, among others. She even requested Hermès to remove her name from the handbag line in 2015 due to animal welfare concerns. Birkin’s acting credits included notable films such as “Blow Up” (1966), “Death on the Nile” (1978), and “Evil Under the Sun” (1982). She also released albums, including “Arabesque” in 2002 and a live recording collection titled “Jane at the Palace” in 2009.

Menna Rawlings, the British ambassador to France, described Birkin as “the most French of British artists” in a tribute on Twitter. Birkin battled leukemia in the late 1990s and had reportedly suffered a stroke in September 2021, which led to the cancellation of a planned appearance at an American film festival.

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