Fashion house Hermes have paid tribute to "close friend and long-time companion" Jane Birkin.
Jane Birkin has died
The London-born singer-and-actress - who died on Sunday (16.07.23) aged 76 - famously inspired the company's Birkin bag after their chairman Jean-Louis Dumas sat next to her on a flight and witnessed her struggling with her luggage, prompting the design of a larger leather accessory with pockets, and the brand have hailed the iconic star's "soft elegance" and "natural curiosity".
The fashion house said in a statement: "We have lost a close friend and a long-time companion. With a shared sensitivity, we grew to know each other, we discovered and appreciated the extent to which Jane Birkin's soft elegance revealed an artist in her own right, committed, open-minded, with a natural curiosity of the world and others."
Elsewhere, Mia Farrow admitted the news was "heartbreaking".
She tweeted: "Heartbreaking news. Jane Birkin was one of the kindest, dearest, funniest, most generous, original and interesting people I’ve ever known. Thoughts with her family."
Hayley Atwell simply shared a photo of Jane on her Instagram story, along with the dates of her life and a heart.
Another of the 'Kaleidoscope' actress' friends, Etienne Daho, took to Instagram to pay tribute to the star.
The French singer wrote: "Unimaginable to live in a world without your light in it."
The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr recalled working with Jane in 2006.
He tweeted: "RIP Jane Birkin. Playing on her album 'Fictions' in 2006 was a lovely experience. A sweet and kind person with a heart for art."
France's Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, hailed the 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' singer as "the most French of Britons."
The politician tweeted: "The most French of Britons is gone.
"Jane B was mischief, impertinent elegance, the never-outdated emblem of an entire era, a murmuring voice that remains our idol.
"A woman of heart, committed, whose disappearance leaves us Alone In Babylone."
Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon felt "lucky" to have crossed paths with Jane once.
She wrote on Instagram: “RIP Jane Birkin, so sad to hear this! She was always a quiet and powerful inspiration! Lucky to have met her once.”
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