British singer Marianne Faithfull, 78, died in London on Jan. 30. Part of the British Invasion, she exemplified the groovy, floppy-haired bird of the era, recording such hits as “As Tears Go By,” “Come and Stay With Me,” and “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan,” releasing 22 albums between 1965-2021. A great-grandniece of the scandalous Count Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, she began her career as a coffee-house folk singer, then was discovered by the Rolling Stones (and uncovered by Mick Jagger). Faithfull struggled with drugs: “To be a male drug addict and to act like that is always enhancing and glamorizing,” she said. “A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother. I really thought I had blown my career.” It wasn’t till the late ‘80s that she got back on track, and eventually became the gravelly-voiced goddess of rock, cabaret, and jazz. Faithfull also acted in such films and TV shows as I'll Never Forget What's'isname, The Girl on a Motorcycle, Hamlet (as Ophelia, to Nichol Williamson's Hamlet), Ghost Story, Moondance, Absolutely Fabulous (as God), and Marie Antoinette. She is survived by her son, financial journalists Nick Dunbar, by artist John Dunbar.
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