Brigitte Bardot, Sultry Sex Kitten of French Cinema, Dies at 91

Brigitte Bardot, the enchanting French starlet with the marvelous pout who became a carefree icon of sexuality in the 1950s and ’60s after her liberated performance in the scandalous And God Created Woman, has died. She was 91.

Bardot died Sunday at her home in southern France, according to a representative from animal protection charity The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, who confirmed her death to The Associated Press. No cause or time of death was specified. She was reportedly hospitalized in November.

French President Emmanuel Macron was among the immediate mourners, calling Bardot “a legend of the century.” He said on social media: “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.”

Bardot was one of the most famous French actresses of her time,…