Marianne Faithfull, Singer And Actress, Dies Aged 78
Revered singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78, a spokesperson has said.
An official statement said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”
Faithfull began her singing career in 1964 after being discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
She released her self-titled debut album in 1965, which featured top 10 hits, the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards-penned As Tears Go By and Come And Stay With Me, at the same time as follow-up LP Come My Way, which was largely made up of folk covers.
From 1966 to 1970, Faithfull was in a highly publicised relationship with Mick Jagger following his split from model and actress Chrissie Shrimpton.
Her first hit, As Tears Go By, charted at number nine, and was followed by a series of successful singles, including Come And Stay With Me, This Little Bird and Summer Nights.
Faithfull co-wrote Sister Morphine with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones’ 1971 album Sticky Fingers, releasing her own version in 1969 featuring guitarist Ry Cooder and Jack Nitzsche on piano.
She was credited as a writer on the initial Decca release of her own version, but omitted from later releases prompting a legal dispute which eventually saw her credited on both the Stones and her own reissues.
She was famously found wearing nothing but a rug at a drugs bust at Redlands, the country house of Rolling Stones guitarist Richards in 1967.
Following her split with Sir Mick, Faithfull spent two years on the streets of Soho while addicted to heroin before living in a squat.
It has also been claimed that Faithfull inspired Stones songs including You Can’t Always Get What You Want and Dear Doctor, while it has also been reported that The Beatles’ And Your Bird Can Sing was inspired by her and Sir Mick’s relationship.
She returned to music during the 1970s. Her well-received new wave-influenced album Broken English in 1979 is now regarded as a classic. Faithfull again re-invented herself in 1987 as a jazz and blues singer with the critically acclaimed Strange Weather, and in the same decade went into rehab.
Her final album was an experimental collaboration with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ Australian multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, called She Walks In Beauty (2021).
In 2006, it was announced that she had made a full recovery from breast cancer.
Doctors in France had diagnosed the disease in September, forcing the star to postpone her world tour. But the cancer was found in its “earliest stages” and following surgery, she announced she would resume her tour the next year.
She was quoted as saying at the time: “It has been an extraordinary experience and, in many ways, extremely positive. I didn’t realise how many true friends I had. I feel so lucky and loved and thank everybody for all their good thoughts.”
The breast cancer came two years after Faithfull was forced to cancel her European tour after collapsing backstage at a gig. The singer was diagnosed with exhaustion and ordered to rest for three months.
In addition to her music career, Faithfull also acted in a number of films including The Girl On A Motorcycle with French actor Alain Delon, as well as theatre productions.
Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger has led tributes to “wonderful friend and beautiful singer” Marianne Faithfull following her death.
Sir Mick was joined by bandmates Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards in paying tribute to the singer and actress, whose version of As Tears Go By reached number nine in the UK singles chart.
In a post on Instagram, Sir Mick wrote: “I am so saddened to hear of the death of Marianne Faithfull. 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.”
Also posting to the social media app, Richards added: “My heartfelt condolences to Marianne’s family. I am so sad and will miss her.”
Wood, 77, who joined the Stones first as a touring member in 1975, five years after Faithfull and Sir Mick’s split, added in his Instagram post, featuring a picture of him and Richards in a studio with her: “Farewell dear Marianne.”
Bianca Jagger, who was married to Mick from 1971 until 1978, shared her own condolences online, writing on Instagram that Faithfull will be “greatly missed”.
A slew of other celebrities and musicians took to social media to bid farewell the singer. Heavy metal band Metallica shared a gallery of photos of its band members alongside Faithfull. The British singer contributed vocals to the song The Memory Remains from the heavy metal band’s 1997 album, Reload.
As well as images of the band and Faithfull in happier times, drummer Lars Ulrich wrote a tribute: “Thank you, Marianne… For the good times, For your kindness, For the great stories, For your fearlessness … And the biggest Thank You … for your incredible and unique contribution to our music, and for always being so willing to join us in performing it … and partake in the ensuing shenanigans!”