Brigitte Bardot’s husband, Bernard d’Ormale, has shared the cause of the iconic French actress’s death. Bardot died at age 91 at her home in Saint-Tropez, France, on Dec. 28, 2025. D’Ormale — who had been married to her since 1992 — said she passed away from cancer after undergoing two surgeries and suffering from intense back pain. He revealed the details in an interview with the French magazine Paris Match, according to the Daily Beast.
“I never left her side. I watched over her, supported by nurses who came discreetly every day.”
Brigitte Bardot’s death was first announced by The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, though no cause was given at the time. In the months leading up to her passing, French media reported that the actress had been dealing with an undisclosed illness. Bardot leaves behind a complex legacy — widely celebrated as a cultural and screen icon, yet also criticized in later years for her increasingly far-right political views. She will be buried in a private ceremony on Jan. 7 at a cemetery in Saint-Tropez, where she had lived for the past 50 years.
French cinema icon Brigitte Bardot — whose later years were often marked by controversy — has died at the age of 91.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, 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,” the statement said according to the BBC.
Back in Octorber it was reported that Brigitte Bardot, 91, has been recovering for nearly three weeks at a private hospital in Toulon, France, following surgery, according to the French newspaper Var-Matin on Oct. 17.
The outlet reported that Bardot underwent the procedure after battling a “serious illness,” and that her condition remains “worrying.”
Brigitte Bardot’s latest hospital stay comes two years after emergency services were called to her home in 2023 when she began having trouble breathing, according to French media reports per E!News.
“At around 9 a.m., Brigitte had difficulty breathing,” her husband Bernard d’Ormale told Var-Matin at the time. “It was worse than usual, but she didn’t lose consciousness. The firefighters came, gave her oxygen, and stayed to keep an eye on her.”
The incident happened during a heatwave in July 2023, and d’Ormale suggested the weather played a role, saying that, like many older people, Bardot “can no longer tolerate the heat.”
Brigitte Bardot was a French actress, model, singer, and cultural icon who became one of the most recognizable stars of 20th-century cinema. Born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, she trained as a ballerina before transitioning into modeling and later film. Bardot rose to international fame in the 1950s, particularly after her breakthrough role in the 1956 drama And God Created Woman, which helped define her image as a symbol of sensuality and freedom during the postwar era.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Bardot appeared in dozens of films, including Contempt, La Vérité, Viva Maria!, and The Night Heaven Fell. Her naturalistic acting style, bold screen presence, and uninhibited persona challenged traditional views of femininity and reshaped how women were portrayed on screen. By her early 30s, she had become a global pop-culture phenomenon, admired for both her talent and her unconventional lifestyle.
Bardot retired from acting in 1973, choosing to step away from fame at the height of her celebrity. She later dedicated herself to animal-rights activism, founding the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986 to support wildlife protection, rescue efforts, and anti-cruelty campaigns around the world. Her outspoken nature and political comments in later years also drew significant controversy and public debate.
Despite leaving Hollywood behind, Bardot’s influence endured in fashion, film, and music, where she inspired generations of artists, directors, and designers. Often seen as a symbol of French cinema’s golden age, she helped redefine screen stardom and became a lasting cultural figure associated with independence, glamour, and rebellion.