Born in 1946, Marianne Faithfull started taking singing gigs in pubs across London as a teenager. In 1964, Faithfull celebrated her first major success with "As Tears Go By," penned by Rolling Stones' band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Other hits followed, including "This Little Bird" and "Summer Nights."

In 1965, Faithfull married artist John Dunbar, and became a permanent fixture in London's booming counterculture scene. By the end of that year she gave birth to her only son, Nicholas. But the marriage collapsed two years later, and Faithfull went on to start a relationship with one of the greatest names in rock history.

Marianne Faithfull's romantic involvement with Mick Jagger ended up playing a major role in the rock band's overall direction. Songs like "Sympathy for the Devil," "Wild Horses" and "Sister Morphine" were all heavily influenced by their passionate relationship. The latter song, which Faithfull also recorded in her own right, speaks of her issues with drug addiction, which worsened over time.

By 1970, Jagger and Faithfull had separated, leading her further into drug abuse. When Jim Morrison overdosed on heroin in Paris in 1971, the press tried to link Faithfull to the death of The Doors' lead singer, saying she was present when it happened. Years later, Faithfull explained in her autobiography that the only connection was the fact that both musicians had the same drug dealer.

Faithfull withdrew completely from performing for almost a decade, unable to overcome her addiction. She spent some of that time living on the streets of London's entertainment district, Soho. In 1979, she celebrated a comeback with a radical album, "Broken English." She dedicated the namesake title track to Ulrike Meinhof, a founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) terror group in Germany.

Marianne Faithfull always looked for artistic fulfillment beyond music as well. She featured in more than 20 movies, for instance co-starring with Alain Delon in the 1968 film "The Girl on a Motorcycle" or "Shopping," alongside Sadie Frost and Jude Law in 1994. She even played Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in Sofia Coppola's 2006 biopic, "Marie Antoinette."

A highlight in Faithfull's acting career was her lead role in the 2007 drama "Irina Palm," which garnered her a nomination for a Golden Bear award at that year's Berlinale. Critics and cinemagoers alike fell in love with the film, in which Faithfull played a 50-year-old woman trying to master her way through some pitfalls of life by taking on an unlikely occupation involving her palm.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Faithfull's career continued to flourish, as the singer took on more mature tones. Her musical collaborations also contributed to her massive success. Faithfull hit the recording studio with top performers, including Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Metallica, Nick Cave and P.J. Harvey. She is pictured here alongside Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys in 1997.

Faithfull was hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020, and doctors didn't expect her to survive. But she bounced back, once again, releasing the album "She Walks in Beauty" a year later. She was honored with the 2009 Women's World Award for Lifetime Achievement and with France's high cultural honor, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in 2011. A true legend, she died on January 30, 2025 at the age of 78.