His daughters Charlotte and Lou, Catherine Deneuve, Etienne Daho, Matthieu Chedid… They were all gathered at the Saint-Roch church, in Paris, to pay a last tribute to Jane Birkin. A few steps away, fans came in their hundreds to watch the ceremony on the big screen.
Around 9:30 a.m., between the rue des Pyramides and rue Saint-Honoré, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, a large screen shows a photo of Jane Birkin in black and white on the notes of La Javanaise, The Forbidden Games or And even so. Many fans are already crowding in front to follow, from 10 a.m., the funeral ceremony.
In a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, Donata, who came from Besançon especially for the funeral of her idol, tries to make her way through this crowd of admirers. For her, this is a very important moment: “I love her enormously, I love her simplicity, her grace, her love of people, her commitment to life. She knew how to love her lovers with pure love, I don’t know if I could have done that. I think she is above us.”
Focused on his cell phone to take a picture of the moment, Gérard, retired, confides that the singer is a “member of [sa] family”. “I have a very strong bond with her, it’s inexplicable. She was of unparalleled generosity, as there are few today.”
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It’s past 10 o’clock and the ceremony still hasn’t started. Pierrette, 84, is impatiently awaiting this moment of contemplation: “I have a lot of pain today. She is a woman who represents the joy of living, good humor, kindness, who is leaving. I will miss her. She was so brave despite her pain linked to the death of Gainsbourg and her daughter Kate, she is an example for everyone. ” Behind Pierrette are three Iranian women holding up a sign written with their own hands: “Thank you Jane, Iranian women will not forget you #womanlifefreedom”. A strong sign in homage to “Jane B”.
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10:25 a.m.: the screen lights up. Spectators are moved when they see the entrance to the Saint-Roch church and the hearse. Laurent left his sculpture studio for a last “goodbye” to the one who grew up with him: “Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Bashung, Jacques Dutronc, all these genius artists marked a generation and are part of my life, it was normal to be here today. She was a very peaceful and human person, she had something extra with her grain of voice and her accent.”
10:35 am, the ceremony begins. Charlotte and Lou, two of Jane Birkin’s daughters, carry the coffin down the aisle. The speeches are linked: Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lou Doillon, her ex-companion Olivier Rolin… The funeral is like the singer: simple and graceful. The sobs of some fans are heard.