French actress Brigitte Bardot, who revolutionised 1950s French cinema and became a symbol of sexual liberation, has died age 91.
The cinema icon - BB as she was known in her home country - acted in almost 50 films, including And God Created Woman, but retired in 1973 to devote her life to animal welfare.
Paying tribute, President Emmanuel Macron said France is mourning a legend of the century, while the Brigitte Bardot Foundation remembered her as a world-renowned actress.
Later in life, Bardot's reputation was damaged after she made homophobic slurs and was fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred.
In a statement, the animal welfare foundation she established said it was announcing her death with immense sadness.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said she was a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation. It did not specify where or when Bardot died.
In a tribute on social media, President Macron wrote: Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom.
French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.
Another who paid tribute was French far-right politician Marine Le Pen: France loses an exceptional woman, through her talent, her courage, her frankness, her beauty.
Bardot's husband, whom she married in 1992, was Bernard d'Ormale, a former adviser to the late far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen - the father of Marine.
Bardot, a Parisian born in 1934 to a wealthy family, initially aimed to be a ballerina before becoming a modelling sensation and film star. She played significant roles, with her breakout performance in And God Created Woman earning critical acclaim and controversy alike. Despite her tumultuous later years, her contributions to film and animal rights remain significant.
