Brigitte Bardot’s final rites took place on Wednesday, featuring a private ceremony followed by a public tribute in Saint-Tropez, the renowned French Riviera town where she resided for over fifty years after stepping away from the spotlight during the peak of her acting career. The prominent animal rights advocate and staunch supporter of far-right ideologies passed away on December 28 at 91 in her residence in southern France.
According to her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, Bardot succumbed to cancer following two surgeries. He emphasized her unwavering concern for animal welfare until her last moments. The town of Saint-Tropez bid farewell to Bardot, a former global icon and emblematic figure of 1960s cinema, as her casket was solemnly paraded through the narrow streets, drawing applause from residents and admirers.
The funeral service commenced at the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church, featuring a rendition of Ave Maria by Maria Callas, attended by Bardot’s family members, including her husband, son, and grandchildren, along with guests invited by the family and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, dedicated to animal protection.
Close friend Max Guazzini, who serves as the secretary general of her foundation, expressed profound sorrow and grief while addressing the mourners. Hundreds of individuals gathered in Saint-Tropez to witness the farewell ceremony broadcasted on large screens at the port and two plazas. Bardot, who considered Saint-Tropez her sanctuary away from fame, was laid to rest in a secluded cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Amid her retirement from the film industry in 1973 at the age of 39 after starring in numerous international films, Bardot chose to live out her days in her coastal residence, La Madrague. The cemetery where she was interred also houses the graves of various cultural icons, including filmmaker Roger Vadim, her first spouse and director of her breakout movie And God Created Woman, catapulting her to global stardom.
