Jane Birkin: Emmanuel Macron hails Birkin as 'French icon' following her death aged 76

English-French star Jane Birkin was known for her personal and artistic relationship with songwriter Serge Gainsbourg

President Emmanuel Macron said Jane Birkin "embodied freedom" as he led tributes following her death at the age of 76.

London-born singer and actress Birkin charmed France with her British music and fashion style, becoming most famed for her collaboration with the late Serge Gainsbourg and lending her name to the Hermes Birkin designer handbag.

French media on Sunday reported Birkin was found dead at her home in Paris.

British singer and actress Jane Birkin has died aged 76 in Paris. Picture: McKeown/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Mr Macron tweeted: "Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.

"A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery. She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us."

French reports have said Birkin had health issues for a number of years that kept her from performing, including a mild stroke in 2021.

She rose to international stardom with her risque projects with Gainsbourg before forging a long and varied career on her own.

Jane Birkin with her award of an OBE

The couple's breathless song Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus was widely kept from the airwaves because of its adult content but reached number one in the UK despite being sung in a foreign language.

Birkin pursued a solo career releasing several albums, often singing in both French and English, and her notable acting credits including Agatha Christie's Death On The Nile and Evil Under The Sun.

She is also the inspiration for the Hermes Birkin handbag, after fashion businessman Jean-Louis Dumas spoke to the actress and singer about her frustration at not being able to find a bag big enough for her daughter's bottles during a flight from Paris to London in 1984.

Birkin bags have a host of celebrity admirers, with famous owners of the accessory including former US first lady Melania Trump, rapper Cardi B, pop star-turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and reality star Kim Kardashian.

Throughout her career, Birkin has also been involved in various humanitarian causes, including working with Amnesty International and Unicef.

In 2022, Birkin and her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg made headlines taking part in a protest video featuring stars such as Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche which saw them cutting off locks of their hair in support of protesters in Iran.

The Instagram video hash-tagged HairForFreedom, came as Iran was engulfed by anti-government protests following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.