Brigitte Bardot's Cause of Death Revealed
Brigitte Bardot's cause of death has been revealed by her husband after the French film star died in late December at 91.
Bernard d'Ormale, Bardot's husband of 33 years, told French magazine Paris Match that she'd been recovering from two cancer surgeries and dealing with severe back pain in her final months. "It slipped out two or three times in recent months," he said about her back. "During moments of physical suffering, she would say: 'I'm fed up, I want to leave…'"
She died in bed surrounded by their cats at their home in Saint-Tropez, France, in the early morning hours of December 28.
Her Final Moments
D'Ormale described being with Bardot when she died.
"I never left her side. I was half asleep beside her. I sat up when I heard her say 'Pioupiou,' that little nickname we used for each other in private, and then it was over," he recalled.
"A sense of peace and tranquility settled over her face. And she became incredibly beautiful again, just like in her youth. You wouldn't have believed she was 91."
The couple had been together since 1992. D'Ormale stayed with her through the cancer surgeries and chronic pain that marked her last months. His description of her final moments is intimate in a way public figures' deaths rarely are—calling each other by their private nickname, him half asleep beside her, noticing how peaceful her face looked.
Funeral in Saint-Tropez
D'Ormale gave these details ahead of Bardot's funeral in Saint-Tropez on Wednesday, January 7.
She'll be laid to rest in Saint-Tropez's marine cemetery in her family's vault, according to Paris Match. The coastal town became basically synonymous with Bardot after she filmed "And God Created Woman" there in 1956. That film changed everything—her career, and the town's entire identity.
Saint-Tropez was a small fishing village before Bardot showed up. The film turned it into an international destination practically overnight. Bardot became a global sex symbol. The town became a celebrity playground. Both transformations happened fast.
A Career That Challenged Everything
Bardot represented liberated femininity in 1950s and '60s France. Her performances pushed back against conservative norms around sexuality and women's autonomy. She played characters who were confident, unapologetic, and free in ways female characters rarely got to be on screen.
Her film career lasted roughly two decades. She walked away from acting in 1973 at 39, at the height of her fame, to focus on animal rights activism. She didn't gradually fade out or take smaller roles; she left completely to work on behalf of animals.
She founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in 1986. The organization campaigns against animal cruelty, pushes for animal welfare legislation, and runs sanctuaries. Her work on behalf of animals earned genuine respect even from people who disagreed with everything else about her.
The Controversial Later Years
Her later years got marked by far-right political sympathies that generated major controversy. She was fined multiple times in France for inciting racial hatred through public statements. Her political views and inflammatory comments created a deeply complicated legacy.
Those controversies overshadowed her film work and animal rights activism for a lot of people. It’s hard to separate the groundbreaking actress and dedicated animal advocate from the person making statements that got her hauled into court repeatedly.
In The End
Film icon from France's golden age of cinema gone at 91. She left behind groundbreaking performances that challenged social norms, decades of animal rights work that actually made a difference, and years of political controversy that sharply divided public opinion about her.
Her husband's account of her death paints someone who suffered physically at the end but found peace when it came. Surrounded by animals she'd dedicated her later life to protecting, in the town she loved, with the person who stayed beside her through everything.
Share this story to reflect on Brigitte Bardot’s complex legacy in film, activism, and culture.