Who Was Marianne Faithfull?
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who left a lasting mark on the music and film industries. Born in Hampstead, London, she began her career after attending a Rolling Stones party, setting off a journey that would see her rise to fame with hits like ‘As Tears Go By.’
Early Career and Success
Her debut album was a huge success, followed by further albums on Decca Records. She had a highly publicized romantic relationship with Mick Jagger, which inspired Rolling Stones’ songs such as ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ and ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want.’ Her voice is heard on The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine,’ and she was involved in a high-profile drug bust in 1967. Marianne Faithfull’s half-brother, Simon Faithfull, shares her musical legacy.
Personal Struggles and Comebacks
However, personal problems in the 1970s led to addiction and homelessness. Despite these challenges, she made a musical comeback in 1979 with ‘Broken English,’ which earned her a Grammy nomination. She followed this with several studio albums and wrote three books about her life.
Later Years and Legacy
Marianne Faithfull received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women’s World Awards and was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France in 2011. Her career revived with albums like ‘Dreamin’ My Dreams’ (1975) and ‘Broken English’ (1979), which included hits like ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.’ She also ventured into jazz and blues, receiving critical acclaim for her work.
Acting Career
Marianne Faithfull played Pink’s mother in Roger Waters’ The Wall live performance in Berlin in July 1990. She appeared as a vocalist on Rupert Hine’s ‘Misplaced Love’ and battled addiction. She performed on Hal Willner’s tribute album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill and wrote about her experiences with Howard Tose’s death on the album A Secret Life.
Later Albums and Tours
Faithfull released Strange Weather, which was critically lauded. She dedicated a ‘thank you’ to Tose on the album sleeve and wrote ‘Flaming September’ in 1995. The singer also performed at St. Ann’s Cathedral in Brooklyn for her live album Blazing Away in the early 1990s.
Final Years
In 2007, Faithfull collaborated with Patrick Wolf on ‘Magpie’ and wrote and recorded a new song for the French film Truands called ‘A Lean and Hungry Look.’ She also toured European theatres with her show Songs of Innocence and Experience. Marianne Faithfull received the World Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2009 Women’s World Awards and the Icon of the Year award from Q magazine in 2009.
Final Days
Marianne Faithfull released her 18th studio album, Horses and High Heels, in January 2011 to mixed reviews. She was awarded the Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in March 2011 and reunited with Metallica in December 2011.
On April 4, 2020, Marianne Faithfull was hospitalized in London for pneumonia after testing positive for COVID-19. She spent three weeks at the hospital before being discharged on April 21. Despite initial fears of long-term damage to her lungs and memory loss, she continued to work on her breathing and singing practice as part of her recovery. Marianne Faithfull died on January 30, 2025, at the age of 78.
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This page is based on the article Marianne Faithfull published in Wikipedia (retrieved on February 9, 2025) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
