Brigitte Bardot, a film icon, has died at the age of 91.

Brigitte Bardot has died. The foundation that bears her name announced the news.

The famous French actress, a world cinema icon, was 91 years old: she was born in Paris on September 28, 1934, into a wealthy bourgeois family.

She had been hospitalized a month ago in Toulon, France, for "surgery for a serious condition." But she had since returned to her home in Saint-Tropez.

"The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the passing of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, world-famous actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energies to animal welfare and her foundation," a statement sent to AFP read. The time or place of death was not specified.

A legend, for decades she was the most desired woman in the world. She was only 16 when, in 1950, she caught the eye of director and screenwriter Marc Allégret, who had his assistant Roger Vadim contact her, whom BB would eventually marry as soon as she turned 18.

She starred in around sixty films, including R-rated ones, becoming a global star in 1956 with the release of "And God Created Woman." She released six albums and was also a singer. She became the symbol and icon of a generation that boldly used its body, sensuality, and sexuality (something far from obvious at the time). With four husbands and a long string of lovers, she was Europe's alternative to Marilyn Monroe.

When she left the cinema in the early 1970s, she established herself as an animal rights activist. From being the most desired woman in the world, she became the woman most denounced by hunters, whom she called "destroyers of lives." The foundation that bears her name, dedicated to animals, has raised €15 million.

Always avowedly right-wing, her stances have often sparked controversy. In the 2017 runoff election, she openly supported Marine Le Pen against Macron. For her statements against the Islamic tradition of slaughtering sheep, she was convicted of "inciting racial hatred."

Rebellious and independent, incapable of staying within the confines of convention, whether it be about sex or love, political ideas or social commitment. Right-wing, yes, but with different views on climate change than the right: "I read the newspapers, I watch TV, I stay alert and observe this world turning into a circus. The way we're treating our planet is abominable: global warming, floods, explosive demographics."

She married Bernard D'Ormale (her fourth husband) in 1992, a prominent figure in Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front in the south of France, a reassuring businessman, and a lover of animals like her. Dogs, cats, and goats lived happily in her villa over the years.

(Unioneonline)