On January 30, 2025, the world lost a music icon, Marianne Faithfull. The British singer-songwriter, whose career spanned more than half a century, passed away in London, England. She was 78.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family,” her spokesperson said in a statement.
Faithfull, born in December 1946 in Hampstead, London, was a key player in the British music scene. At age 16, she was discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Her recording of “As Tears Go By,” penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1964, propelled her to stardom and peaked at number nine on the Billboard charts, where it stayed for nine weeks.
Historian David Dalton remarked, “Her relationship with Jagger and her lifestyle shaped some of the Stones’ most memorable songs.”
Her relationship with Jagger, which began in 1966, played a significant role in the 1960s London music scene. Faithfull greatly influenced the Rolling Stones, inspiring hit songs such as “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Wild Horses.” Their relationship ended in 1970, and Faithfull chronicled this era in her 1994 autobiography, recounting both the creative excitement and personal struggles associated with the British rock movement.
Faithfull’s personal life was marked by hardship, including a battle with heroin addiction and homelessness in the 1970s. However, she made a triumphant return with her 1979 album “Broken English,” earning a Grammy nomination. Her voice, now deeper and raspier, added an undeniable authenticity to her music.
Faithfull’s life was beset by difficulties, including losing a child during her relationship with Jagger, a custody dispute and temporary separation from her only child during her marriage to John Dunbar, a suicide attempt, multiple rehabilitation stays, and a drug-related arrest involving the Rolling Stones in February 1967 (the infamous Redlands drug bust at Keith Richards’ Sussex home). The arrest led to widespread, often inaccurate, media coverage in Britain.
The Redlands bust was a scandalous event. Police found Faithfull wearing only a fur rug during a raid at a party at Richards’ house. Both Jagger and Richards were charged with drug offenses, with Jagger sentenced to three months for possession of amphetamines and Richards receiving a one-year sentence for permitting cannabis use in his home. Although their sentences were later overturned on appeal, the bust significantly impacted Faithfull’s public persona and personal life and became a hallmark of the era’s clash between the establishment and the counterculture movement.
Throughout her career, Faithfull worked with an impressive array of artists, including David Bowie, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, and Metallica. She continued to record and perform into her later years, releasing “Negative Capability” in 2018 and “She Walks in Beauty” in 2021.
Faithfull faced serious health issues, including a breast cancer diagnosis in 2006 and a 22-day hospital stay for COVID-19 in 2020. Despite the severity of her condition, she defied medical predictions and continued to make music.
Faithfull’s contributions to the arts were recognized globally. In 2009, she received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women’s World Awards, and the French government named her a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Faithfull had a successful acting career. She acted alongside Glenda Jackson in Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” played Ophelia in “Hamlet,” appeared in the 1968 film “The Girl on a Motorcycle,” and made notable appearances in the television series “Absolutely Fabulous.”
Faithfull penned multiple autobiographies, “Faithfull” in 1994 and “Memories, Dreams & Reflections” in 2007, providing readers with unfiltered insights into her life, the music industry, and the cultural revolution of the 1960s.
Faithfull is survived by her son, Nicholas Dunbar, from her first marriage to artist John Dunbar. She also had marriages to Ben Brierly and Giorgio Della Terza.
