Jane Birkin, 74, cancels festival appearance after suffering stroke

Jane is doing well (Picture: Marc Piasecki/WireImage)

Iconic actress and singer Jane Birkin is recovering after suffering a stroke.

The 74-year-old’s family confirmed that she had cancelled her upcoming appearing at the American Film Festival in Deauville, France, after she ‘suffered a minor form of stroke a few days ago’.

They added to AFP that Birkin was ‘doing well’.

Birkin was set to appear at the festival this Wednesday and Thursday to discuss Jane by Charlotte, a documentary about her by her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The synopsis for the movie reads: ‘When the tremor of time pass­ing by, Char­lotte Gains­bourg start­ed to look at her moth­er Jane Birkin in a way she nev­er did, both over­com­ing a shared sense of reserve. Through the cam­era lens, they expose them­selves to one anoth­er, begin to step back, leav­ing space for a moth­er-daugh­ter rela­tion­ship to unfold.’

The screenings will still go ahead. 

Charlotte has made a documentary about her mother (Picture: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)

Birkin has made a number of public appearances this summer, having walked the red carpet at Cannes in July and being pictured the same month at Francofolies music festival in La Rochelle.

She also attended the Angouleme French-Speaking Film Festival in Angouleme, France, with Charlotte last month.

Birkin shot to fame in the late 1960s with the song Je t’aime… moi non plus, a duet she recorded with then-boyfriend Serge Gainsbourg. 

The song was banned in a number of countries due to the groaning and heavy breathing on the track, but was still a huge hit, reaching number one in the UK.

The actress was previously in a relationship with Serge Gainsbourg (Picture: Reg Lancaster/Getty Images)

Birkin and Gainsbourg remained together for 12 years, and welcomed a daughter, Charlotte, together.

In her acting career, Birkin has starred in films including Death On The Nile, Evil Under The Sun, and the Oscar nominated short film. La femme et le TGV.

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Her name is also known as the inspiration for the coveted Hermès Birkin bag, after the designer brand’s chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas created the leather bag for her when she complained on a flight about being unable to find a leather weekend bag that she liked.

The bags are now among the most valuable in fashion, with prices ranging from $10,000 (£7,200) up to $500,000 (£361,000). 

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