Iconic French actress Brigitte Bardot has died after a recent health scare. She was 91.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” Bardot’s charity said in a statement to AFP on Sunday, December 28.
The foundation did not specify Bardot’s time or place of death.
News of Bardot’s death comes after she was hospitalized for unspecified health issues. French newspaper Var-Matin reported in October 2025 that she underwent surgery for a “serious illness” and was in “worrying” condition. According to the outlet, Bardot spent three weeks in a hospital before returning to her home in Saint-Tropez, France, to recover.
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Bardot’s office subsequently confirmed to Reuters that she was recuperating at home after having a “minor surgery that went well,” noting that she wanted to express her gratitude to the staff and surgeons at the Saint-Jean Private Hospital in Toulon, France.
Days after her medical problems made headlines, Bardot shut down an online rumor that she had died.
“I don’t know which idiot started this fake news about my disappearance tonight, but know that I’m fine and I have no intention of bowing out,” she wrote in French via X in October 2025. “A word to the wise.”
Bardot suffered a previous health scare in July 2023 when medics were called to her home to treat her for respiratory problems.
“[Her breathing] was stronger than usual but she did not lose consciousness,” her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, told Var-Matin at the time. “Let’s call it a moment of respiratory distraction.”
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He added, “Like all people of a certain age, she can no longer bear the heat. It happens at 88 years old. She must not make useless efforts.”
Born in Paris, France, in September 1934, Bardot rose to stardom when she acted in the 1952 film Manina, the Girl in the Bikini at age 17. She garnered international recognition for her role in the 1957 movie And God Created Woman, earning the label of a sex symbol in the process. Other memorable credits included 1960’s The Truth, 1963’s Le Mépris and 1965’s Viva Maria! Bardot also pursued a music career, releasing her debut album, Brigitte Bardot Sings, in 1963.
Bardot retired from acting in 1973 at age 39, noting at the time that she wanted to “get out elegantly.”
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After leaving the movie industry, Bardot became an animal rights activist and launched the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986.
As for her personal life, Bardot was previously married to Roger Vadim from 1952 to 1957, Jacques Charrier from 1959 to 1962 and Gunter Sachs from 1966 to 1969. She tied the knot with d’Ormale in August 1992.
Bardot became a mother in January 1960 with the birth of her and Charrier’s son, Nicolas. Bardot and Nicolas had a fraught relationship for years, but she revealed in 2018 that they had reconciled.
Bardot is survived by her husband, d’Ormale, son Nicolas, granddaughters Anna and Thea and her great-grandkids.
