Marianne Faithfull Dies at 78
Marianne Faithfull, the legendary British singer-songwriter, has died. She was 78.
Faithfull’s death was confirmed by a spokesperson to the BBC who said in a statement, “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. She will be dearly missed.”
A cause of death was not disclosed.
Faithfull was part of the ’60s British Invasion of rock and pop artists that made a splash in the United States. Her biggest hit in the U.S. was 1964’s “As Tears Go By,” which was written by the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and their manager Andrew Loog Oldham. (The Rolling Stones would record and release their own version of “As Tears Go By” in 1965.)
Other notable hits from Faithfull in the United States include “Come and Stay with Me,” “This Little Bird,” and “Summer Nights.”
Faithfull was involved with Jagger from 1966 to 1970. During that time, she got caught up in the infamous 1967 drug raid at Richards’ home in Redlands where police said she was only wearing a fur rug when they executed their raid.
While both Jagger and Richards recovered from the wild tabloid moment, Faithfull’s career took a significant hit. In 2016, she told Time Out magazine, “I haven’t forgiven the UK for Redlands. The press, the Establishment, presented me as some sort of bimbo in a fur rug.”
Faithfull spent nearly a decade struggling with drug addiction, anorexia, and homelessness. Her 1979 comeback album Broken English remains her most critically acclaimed work and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
In her career, Faithfull released 22 studio albums. Her final studio release came in 2021 when she collaborated with Warren Ellis on She Walks in Beauty. However, Faithful’s biggest and most surprising collaboration took place in 1997 when she was featured on the Metallica single “The Memory Remains” from their album Reload.