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Saint-Tropez Bids Farewell to Screen Icon Brigitte Bardot
SAINT-TROPEZ, France – The French Riviera resort town of Saint-Tropez gathered on Wednesday to pay its final respects to Brigitte Bardot, the legendary actress, animal rights activist, and cultural icon, who passed away on December 28 at the age of 91. A private funeral service was held, followed by a public homage, in the town she called home for over half a century after her retirement from the silver screen at the peak of her fame.
President Emmanuel Macron, following Bardot’s passing, declared that France was “mourning a legend.” Her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, revealed in an interview with Paris Match magazine that Bardot succumbed to cancer after undergoing two operations. He noted her unwavering dedication to animal welfare until her final moments, stating, “She was conscious and concerned about the fate of animals until the very end.”
Admirers and residents lined the narrow streets of Saint-Tropez, applauding as the funeral convoy carried Bardot’s coffin. Once hailed as one of the world’s most photographed women and a quintessential screen siren of the 1960s, her passing marks the end of an era.
The service at the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church began with the poignant strains of Maria Callas’ “Ave Maria.” In attendance were Bardot’s husband, son, and grandchildren, alongside guests invited by the family and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. Hundreds more gathered in the charming town, watching the farewell on large screens erected at the port and in two central plazas.
Following the church ceremony, Bardot is to be laid to rest “in the strictest privacy” at a cemetery overlooking the serene Mediterranean Sea, as confirmed by the Saint-Tropez town hall. This picturesque location has long been Bardot’s sanctuary, a refuge from the global celebrity that once defined her.
A public homage is scheduled at a nearby site, offering a chance for admirers to honor the woman whose image once symbolized France’s post-war liberation and sensuality. The Saint-Tropez town hall previously acknowledged her profound impact, stating last week, “Brigitte Bardot will forever be associated with Saint-Tropez, of which she was the most dazzling ambassador. Through her presence, personality and aura, she marked the history of our town.”
Bardot, who settled decades ago at her seaside villa, La Madrague, retired from filmmaking in 1973 at the age of 39, concluding an international career that encompassed over two dozen films. She later dedicated her life to animal rights, establishing and sustaining a foundation devoted to their protection.
In a 2007 interview with The Associated Press on her 73rd birthday, Bardot expressed her passion: “Man is an insatiable predator. I don’t care about my past glory.
That means nothing in the face of an animal that suffers, since it has no power, no words to defend itself.” Her unwavering activism garnered widespread respect, leading to her being awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest recognition, in 1985.
While she stepped away from the film industry, Bardot remained a highly visible and often controversial public figure, known for her militant animal rights activism and her affiliations with far-right political movements.
She will be interred in the so-called marine cemetery, where her parents also rest. This historic cemetery, with its breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, is also the final resting place of several other cultural figures, including filmmaker Roger Vadim, Bardot’s first husband, whose direction of “And God Created Woman” propelled her to worldwide stardom.