Marianne Faithfull, a singer, songwriter, actor, and muse to stars like the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, died on Thursday in London.
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“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” a spokesperson said in a statement via the BBC. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”
The official cause of death has not been disclosed. However, the singer had faced numerous health challenges in the past, including bulimia, breast cancer and emphysema, the latter a result of decades of smoking.
In 2020, she was hospitalized with COVID-19 and spent 22 days fighting for her life, according to the BBC. Doctors doubted her chances of survival, but she defied the odds. Just a year later, she released her 21st album, She Walks in Beauty.
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was born on December 29, 1946, in Hampstead, London. Her father, Major Robert Glynn Faithfull, was a British intelligence officer and a professor at Bedford College, University of London. Her mother, Eva, was the daughter of an Austro-Hungarian nobleman, adding a touch of European aristocracy to Marianne’s heritage.
Faithfull, with her striking beauty and aristocratic poise, was just 18 when she attended a Rolling Stones party and caught the attention of the band’s manager, Andrew Loog Oldham. The following year, she released her debut album.
#MarianneFaithfull – was there an Englishwoman more exquisite, more cerebral? RIP pic.twitter.com/b1gnUdn669
— Dean Goodman™ (@DeanGoodman) January 30, 2025
She rose to fame with her debut album and North Country Maid during the “British Invasion” of US pop charts. Her relationship with Mick Jagger also drew tabloid attention, and after their split, she struggled with drug addiction, even experiencing homelessness in Soho.
Marianne Faithfull Debuts Her Signature Vocals in Broken English
She returned with her 1976 album Dreamin’ My Dreams. However, it was 1979’s Broken English—infused with New Wave influences—that marked her true resurgence. She showcased her smoky voice and newfound wisdom on this album, earning a Grammy nomination and marking a bold artistic reinvention.
She collaborated with artists like PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Emmylou Harris and Metallica, inspiring many along the way.
Meanwhile, Faithfull also had serious acting chops. On stage, she starred with Glenda Jackson in Chekhov’s Three Sisters and took on the role of Ophelia in Hamlet. On-screen, she brought a divine touch as God in two episodes of the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. She also embraced the sinister as the devil in the musical The Black Rider by William Burroughs and Tom Waits.
However, music was what Faithfull always returned to. Her 2018 album, Negative Capability, reflects on aging, loneliness, and grief. The work was reportedly influenced by the loss of her friend Anita Pallenberg and the Bataclan attacks in Paris.
In 2009, Faithfull was honored with the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women’s World Awards. She was also named a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
The singer was married and divorced three times. She married artist John Dunbar in 1965, Ben Brierly of the punk band The Vibrators in 1979, and actor Giorgio Della Terza in 1988.
Faithfull is survived by her son, Nicholas Dunbar.