(VOVWORLD) -France’s Brigitte Bardot, widely known by her nickname “BB”, a cinematic icon of the 1950s and 1960s, who gave up global fame to become an animal rights advocate, has died at the age of 91 at her home in southern France.
On X social network, French President Emmanuel Macron heralded Bardot as someone who “embodied a life of freedom” and a “legend of the century”, whose cinematic works, songs, and love for animals touched the hearts of the public.
Environmental activist Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, praised the legacy Bardot left behind in this field.
“She spent more than half of her life, you know, dedicated to protecting animals, far more than she did actually acting or modeling. She was an advocate for animals, farm animals, wild animals, animals everywhere,” said Paul, adding, “One of the things that she did that which is most significant is that she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to Protect Animals, which has done incredible work over the years.”
Expressing her admiration to BB, one of Brigitte Bardot’s fans, said, “Her struggle for animal rights is truly admirable. With her beauty and illustrious career, she was truly a great person, a wonderful lady.”
Bardot shot to international fame in 1956 with "And God Created Woman," and went on to star in around 50 other films before retiring from acting in 1973.
In the 1960s, she was considered an icon of beauty and femininity thanks to her physique and acting talent. She retired from film and lived for a long time in the Riviera, in southern France.
In 1986, the French film legend founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation to fight against animal cruelty and raise public awareness about animal protection. Her final years were dedicated to animal protection campaigns.