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Marianne Faithfull, the 60s icon and rock star muse who carved her own path | Marianne Faithfull, the 60s icon and rock star muse who carved her own path |
(4 days later) | |
By her own admission, Marianne Faithfull, who has died aged 78, "didn't do conventional". | By her own admission, Marianne Faithfull, who has died aged 78, "didn't do conventional". |
She was the convent-educated teenager who abandoned school after meeting the Rolling Stones. | She was the convent-educated teenager who abandoned school after meeting the Rolling Stones. |
A delicate-featured picture of innocence, she inhaled the highs of chart success, before falling victim to alcohol and hard drugs. | A delicate-featured picture of innocence, she inhaled the highs of chart success, before falling victim to alcohol and hard drugs. |
After splitting up with Mick Jagger, Faithfull spent years living as a heroin addict on the streets of Soho. | After splitting up with Mick Jagger, Faithfull spent years living as a heroin addict on the streets of Soho. |
Given the chance to restart her singing career, she went on to make more than 20 albums. | Given the chance to restart her singing career, she went on to make more than 20 albums. |
Her whisky-soaked voice, turned cracked and dusky, conveyed the inner torments of her painful life-experiences. | Her whisky-soaked voice, turned cracked and dusky, conveyed the inner torments of her painful life-experiences. |
Marianne Faithfull was still at school when she was spotted by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham | Marianne Faithfull was still at school when she was spotted by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham |
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was born in Hampstead on 29 December 1946. | Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was born in Hampstead on 29 December 1946. |
Her mother was Baroness Eva Sacher-Masoch, a Hungarian, half-Jewish former ballet dancer who had fled the Nazis in World War II. | Her mother was Baroness Eva Sacher-Masoch, a Hungarian, half-Jewish former ballet dancer who had fled the Nazis in World War II. |
Her father was Major Glyn Faithfull, an eccentric British MI6 agent turned professor of Italian literature. | Her father was Major Glyn Faithfull, an eccentric British MI6 agent turned professor of Italian literature. |
The stage was set for an unusual childhood. | The stage was set for an unusual childhood. |
Marianne spent her early years at Braziers Park, an Oxfordshire country house where her father played a prominent role in an upmarket commune. | |
In her autobiography, she described it as a "mixture of high utopian thoughts and randy sex". | In her autobiography, she described it as a "mixture of high utopian thoughts and randy sex". |
Marianne Faithfull photographed at the age of 19 in 1965 | Marianne Faithfull photographed at the age of 19 in 1965 |
After divorcing, Lady Sacher-Masoch spirited her six-year-old daughter to a terraced house in Reading, discouraging further contact with Major Faithfull. | After divorcing, Lady Sacher-Masoch spirited her six-year-old daughter to a terraced house in Reading, discouraging further contact with Major Faithfull. |
According to Marianne, she was raised like "one of her mother's cats". | According to Marianne, she was raised like "one of her mother's cats". |
She had regular bouts of tuberculosis and was sent to St Joseph's Roman Catholic boarding school, despite her father's complaints that the nuns would "give her a problem with sex for the rest of her life". | She had regular bouts of tuberculosis and was sent to St Joseph's Roman Catholic boarding school, despite her father's complaints that the nuns would "give her a problem with sex for the rest of her life". |
While still at school, Marianne began singing folk songs a cappella in Reading coffee-houses - and, before long, her exquisite looks and obvious talent saw her sucked into the vortex of Swinging 60s London. | While still at school, Marianne began singing folk songs a cappella in Reading coffee-houses - and, before long, her exquisite looks and obvious talent saw her sucked into the vortex of Swinging 60s London. |
In 1964, she attended a Rolling Stones launch party, on the arm of British artist John Dunbar, and was spotted by the flamboyant record producer Andrew Loog Oldham. | In 1964, she attended a Rolling Stones launch party, on the arm of British artist John Dunbar, and was spotted by the flamboyant record producer Andrew Loog Oldham. |
Famously, he described her as an "angel" with impressive vital statistics. | Famously, he described her as an "angel" with impressive vital statistics. |
Marianne Faithfull left her husband to live with Mick Jagger | Marianne Faithfull left her husband to live with Mick Jagger |
Oldham was the Rolling Stones' manager and felt he could package his new discovery as a pop star. | Oldham was the Rolling Stones' manager and felt he could package his new discovery as a pop star. |
She would, he thought, be a useful vehicle for songs that weren't quite a fit for his more important act. | She would, he thought, be a useful vehicle for songs that weren't quite a fit for his more important act. |
The Rolling Stones were a rhythm and blues band. When singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards wrote a gentle ballad, When Tears Go By, they dismissed it as a "piece of tripe". | The Rolling Stones were a rhythm and blues band. When singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards wrote a gentle ballad, When Tears Go By, they dismissed it as a "piece of tripe". |
So Oldham gave it to Marianne Faithfull. | So Oldham gave it to Marianne Faithfull. |
Marianne Faithfull as a doomed, leather-clad beauty in The Girl on a Motorcycle in 1968 | Marianne Faithfull as a doomed, leather-clad beauty in The Girl on a Motorcycle in 1968 |
The song had not been written for her but, she said, "fitted me so perfectly it might as well had been". | The song had not been written for her but, she said, "fitted me so perfectly it might as well had been". |
The melancholy classic, sung in her detached, wintry voice, reached the UK Top 10. | The melancholy classic, sung in her detached, wintry voice, reached the UK Top 10. |
The Stones were so disappointed they had missed a hit, they recorded their own version a year later. | The Stones were so disappointed they had missed a hit, they recorded their own version a year later. |
Faithfull followed up with a series of singles, including Summer Nights, This Little Bird and - her highest chart success - Come and Stay with Me. | Faithfull followed up with a series of singles, including Summer Nights, This Little Bird and - her highest chart success - Come and Stay with Me. |
Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull leave court having been arrested for possession of cannabis in 1969 | Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull leave court having been arrested for possession of cannabis in 1969 |
She caught Bob Dylan's eye when he came to town. | She caught Bob Dylan's eye when he came to town. |
Inspired by her doe-eyed looks, the American singer-songwriter wrote her a poem - but tore it up when she turned him down. | Inspired by her doe-eyed looks, the American singer-songwriter wrote her a poem - but tore it up when she turned him down. |
In 1965, she married John Dunbar and gave birth to their son. Soon afterwards, she left the family home and moved in with Mick Jagger. | In 1965, she married John Dunbar and gave birth to their son. Soon afterwards, she left the family home and moved in with Mick Jagger. |
He was not Faithfull's first Rolling Stone. "I slept with three of them," she later admitted, "and then I decided the lead singer was the best bet." | He was not Faithfull's first Rolling Stone. "I slept with three of them," she later admitted, "and then I decided the lead singer was the best bet." |
Her influence on the band was significant. | Her influence on the band was significant. |
Let's Spend the Night Together, You Can't Always Get What You Want and Wild Horses were all songs said to have been written about her. | Let's Spend the Night Together, You Can't Always Get What You Want and Wild Horses were all songs said to have been written about her. |
And Sympathy for the Devil was inspired by The Master and Margarita, a Russian novel Faithfull introduced to Jagger. | And Sympathy for the Devil was inspired by The Master and Margarita, a Russian novel Faithfull introduced to Jagger. |
Marianne Faithfull lost custody of her son, Nicholas | Marianne Faithfull lost custody of her son, Nicholas |
As one of the faces of the 1960s, Faithfull carved out a side-career as an actor. | As one of the faces of the 1960s, Faithfull carved out a side-career as an actor. |
She appeared at London's Royal Court in an adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters, alongside Glenda Jackson. | She appeared at London's Royal Court in an adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters, alongside Glenda Jackson. |
She became the first person ever to utter the F-word in a mainstream film, I'll Never Forget What'sisname, in 1967. | She became the first person ever to utter the F-word in a mainstream film, I'll Never Forget What'sisname, in 1967. |
A year later, she starred opposite Alain Delon, as a doomed, leather-clad beauty in The Girl on a Motorcycle. | A year later, she starred opposite Alain Delon, as a doomed, leather-clad beauty in The Girl on a Motorcycle. |
Her character's psychedelic and erotic fantasies saw the film win the first ever X-rating in the United States. | Her character's psychedelic and erotic fantasies saw the film win the first ever X-rating in the United States. |
Of course, there were a lot of drugs. | Of course, there were a lot of drugs. |
During a police raid on Keith Richards' house in Sussex, Faithfull was discovered naked, draped in a fur rug - which she took indecent pleasure in occasionally letting slip. | During a police raid on Keith Richards' house in Sussex, Faithfull was discovered naked, draped in a fur rug - which she took indecent pleasure in occasionally letting slip. |
Allegations involving a Mars bar, she insisted, were entirely made up. But the drugs bust took a toll on her reputation. "It destroyed me," she later said. | Allegations involving a Mars bar, she insisted, were entirely made up. But the drugs bust took a toll on her reputation. "It destroyed me," she later said. |
"To be a male drug addict and to act like that is always enhancing and glamorising, she explained. | "To be a male drug addict and to act like that is always enhancing and glamorising, she explained. |
"A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother." | "A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother." |
Marianne Faithfull at the height of her alcohol and drug addiction in 1974 | Marianne Faithfull at the height of her alcohol and drug addiction in 1974 |
Faithfull co-wrote Sister Morphine with Jagger and Richards and released the song in 1969. | Faithfull co-wrote Sister Morphine with Jagger and Richards and released the song in 1969. |
The lyrics - the authorship of which were later the subject of a legal dispute with the band - are a terrifying insight into the effect of heroin and cocaine addiction: "The scream of the ambulance is sounding in my ears. Tell me, Sister Morphine, how long have I been lying here?" | The lyrics - the authorship of which were later the subject of a legal dispute with the band - are a terrifying insight into the effect of heroin and cocaine addiction: "The scream of the ambulance is sounding in my ears. Tell me, Sister Morphine, how long have I been lying here?" |
The relationship with Jagger - whom she accused of having a misogynistic streak - fell apart at the turn of the decade. | The relationship with Jagger - whom she accused of having a misogynistic streak - fell apart at the turn of the decade. |
At the same time, Faithfull lost custody of her son and her life began to spiral out of control. | At the same time, Faithfull lost custody of her son and her life began to spiral out of control. |
A suicide attempt left her in a coma, and she ended up an alcoholic, anorexic heroin addict living in a bomb-damaged building in London's Soho. | A suicide attempt left her in a coma, and she ended up an alcoholic, anorexic heroin addict living in a bomb-damaged building in London's Soho. |
She looked back on these years in a BBC interview in 2002, describing her addiction as a kind of brutal therapy. | She looked back on these years in a BBC interview in 2002, describing her addiction as a kind of brutal therapy. |
"I was in agony and I healed myself as best I could," she said. "One of the ways was with drugs, because they are painkillers. | "I was in agony and I healed myself as best I could," she said. "One of the ways was with drugs, because they are painkillers. |
"It was all too much for me," she explained. "I really didn't like my gilded cage." | "It was all too much for me," she explained. "I really didn't like my gilded cage." |
Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull photographed in 1969 | Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull photographed in 1969 |
Occasional attempts to emerge from her squat in Chelsea failed. | Occasional attempts to emerge from her squat in Chelsea failed. |
Her voice - affected by drug abuse and laryngitis - had become permanently rough and lower in pitch. | Her voice - affected by drug abuse and laryngitis - had become permanently rough and lower in pitch. |
But, a decade after her split with Jagger, Faithfull made Broken English - her most critically acclaimed album. | But, a decade after her split with Jagger, Faithfull made Broken English - her most critically acclaimed album. |
Gone was the innocence of the 1960s - and in its place, a post-punk performer of depth and world-weary experience. | Gone was the innocence of the 1960s - and in its place, a post-punk performer of depth and world-weary experience. |
The album's final track, Why'd Ya Do It?, is the rasping rant of a woman reacting to a man's infidelity - set to a riff inspired by Jimi Hendrix. | The album's final track, Why'd Ya Do It?, is the rasping rant of a woman reacting to a man's infidelity - set to a riff inspired by Jimi Hendrix. |
It was a moment of metamorphosis: the Rolling Stone party-girl had become a gravel-voiced, truth-telling sophisticate. | It was a moment of metamorphosis: the Rolling Stone party-girl had become a gravel-voiced, truth-telling sophisticate. |
The album's critical success was not matched commercially. It did well in France and Germany but reached just number 57 in the UK charts. | The album's critical success was not matched commercially. It did well in France and Germany but reached just number 57 in the UK charts. |
But it did earn Faithfull a Grammy nomination in 1981, for best female rock vocal performance. | But it did earn Faithfull a Grammy nomination in 1981, for best female rock vocal performance. |
Marianne Faithfull performing in New York in 1999 | Marianne Faithfull performing in New York in 1999 |
She moved to America, where Island Records put her into rehab. | She moved to America, where Island Records put her into rehab. |
Still suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, she had a string of mishaps - including breaking her jaw on the stairs. On one occasion, her heart actually stopped. | Still suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, she had a string of mishaps - including breaking her jaw on the stairs. On one occasion, her heart actually stopped. |
But she held it together, and released more than a dozen albums over the next three decades. | But she held it together, and released more than a dozen albums over the next three decades. |
She also wrote an autobiography, Faithfull - looking back on the 1960s and 70s with a notable absence of self-pity. | She also wrote an autobiography, Faithfull - looking back on the 1960s and 70s with a notable absence of self-pity. |
Constantly worried about money, she auctioned off much of her 1960s memorabilia in 2024 - saying that she preferred gardening to looking back. | Constantly worried about money, she auctioned off much of her 1960s memorabilia in 2024 - saying that she preferred gardening to looking back. |
Now in her late 70s, she had inherited her mother's ancient title and - technically a baroness - was living in Paris. | Now in her late 70s, she had inherited her mother's ancient title and - technically a baroness - was living in Paris. |
In the last decade of her life, Faithfull had to cancel concert tours after being diagnosed first with breast cancer and then hepatitis C. | In the last decade of her life, Faithfull had to cancel concert tours after being diagnosed first with breast cancer and then hepatitis C. |
She was also troubled by the complications of a broken back and hip, and thought she would never sing again after weeks in hospital with the coronavirus. | She was also troubled by the complications of a broken back and hip, and thought she would never sing again after weeks in hospital with the coronavirus. |
Marianne Faithfull performs at the Bataclan concert hall in 2016 | Marianne Faithfull performs at the Bataclan concert hall in 2016 |
But she never quite lost the creative spark. | But she never quite lost the creative spark. |
In recent years, she published a record that put the words of Keats and Wordsworth to music. | In recent years, she published a record that put the words of Keats and Wordsworth to music. |
And Negative Capability, her 21st album, was described by the Guardian as a "masterly mediation on ageing and death". | And Negative Capability, her 21st album, was described by the Guardian as a "masterly mediation on ageing and death". |
It was notable for They Come at Night, her furious response to the Bataclan terror in Paris. | It was notable for They Come at Night, her furious response to the Bataclan terror in Paris. |
"They come at night," she sang, "and the world goes blind with fear. Terror in Paris, the future is here." | "They come at night," she sang, "and the world goes blind with fear. Terror in Paris, the future is here." |
It also dealt with Faithfull's own increasing frailty and loneliness, as well as the loss of close friends, including fellow Rolling Stones muse Anita Pallenberg. | It also dealt with Faithfull's own increasing frailty and loneliness, as well as the loss of close friends, including fellow Rolling Stones muse Anita Pallenberg. |
"I know I'm not young and I'm damaged," she wrote defiantly. "But I'm still pretty kind of funny." | "I know I'm not young and I'm damaged," she wrote defiantly. "But I'm still pretty kind of funny." |
Marianne Faithfull will in part be remembered for being Mick Jagger's girlfriend and surviving the horrors of drink and drug addiction. | Marianne Faithfull will in part be remembered for being Mick Jagger's girlfriend and surviving the horrors of drink and drug addiction. |
But her resurrection proved - if proof were needed - a rock star's muse can become a fully fledged, respected artist in her own right. | But her resurrection proved - if proof were needed - a rock star's muse can become a fully fledged, respected artist in her own right. |