Singer, songwriter, and actress Marianne Faithfull has passed away, her spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Marianne Faithfull. She passed away peacefully in London today, surrounded by her loving family. She will be greatly missed,” the statement read.
Faithfull was renowned for her 1960s hits, including “As Tears Go By,” a song written by The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, with whom she famously had a relationship.
She was discovered at a London party by The Rolling Stones’ manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in 1964. At just 16 years old, she released “As Tears Go By,” as noted in her official biography.
Marianne Faithfull had a career spanning over 50 years, both as a singer and an actress. She appeared in films such as Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and Hamlet (1969), among others.
However, by the end of the 1960s, Faithfull faced a long and difficult battle with drug addiction, a struggle that lasted for years. Despite this, she managed to make a series of creative comebacks in the following decades.
In 2020, it was announced that Lucy Boynton, known for her role in Bohemian Rhapsody, would portray Faithfull in a biopic about her life. At the time, Faithfull expressed excitement, saying she was “delighted that my story is finally being made with my dream team.”
In 2021, Faithfull wrote an album during the Covid-19 lockdown, a challenging period in which she also battled a severe Covid-19 infection.
Faithfull shared her remarkable and tumultuous life story in her memoir, Faithfull, released in 1994.
“Never apologize, never explain – didn’t we always say that? Well, I haven’t and I don’t,” she wrote to her readers in the book.
Faithfull was 78 years old at the time of her passing, according to reports.
