French film icon Brigitte Bardot, whose portrayals of free-spirited heroines made her one of the world’s most recognizable sex symbols before she abandoned cinema to devote her life to animal rights activism, has died, according to French media reports and The Associated Press. She was 91.

Bruno Jacquelin, a representative of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, told the Associated Press that Bardot died at her home in southern France. No cause of death was given, and funeral or memorial arrangements have not yet been announced. She had been hospitalized last month following a period of declining health.

Tributes poured in from across France following news of her death. President Emmanuel Macron said Bardot “embodied a life of freedom” and represented a distinctly French spirit. Jordan Bardella, head of the far-right National Rally party, which Bardot supported in her later years, called her a “passionate patriot” who symbolized “an entire era of French history.”

Bardot’s death comes two months after she underwent what her staff described as “minor surgery” in October 2025. At the time, she publicly dismissed online rumors that she had died.

“I don’t know which imbecile launched this fake news regarding my disappearance, but know that I’m fine and have no intention of bowing out,” Bardot wrote in a post on X.

However, she was hospitalized again in November 2025 for what French media described as a serious health issue.

Born in Paris on Sept. 28, 1934, Bardot rose to international fame after dyeing her hair blonde and starring in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, directed by her first husband, Roger Vadim. The role transformed her into a global symbol of sensuality and rebellion and cemented her status as one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century.

In 1973, at the height of her fame, Bardot walked away from acting to dedicate herself to animal welfare, becoming one of the world’s most prominent and outspoken animal rights advocates—a role she embraced for the remainder of her life.