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Brigitte Bardot spent her final days doing what defined the second half of her extraordinary life: fighting for animals.
The French screen icon and animal rights activist has died at the age of 91, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals confirmed in a statement shared with Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday, December 28.
The announcement came a day after the foundation shared what would become Bardot's final social media post: a plea to help find a home for a vulnerable rescue dog.
BRIGITTE BARDOT, 'SEX KITTEN' OF THE 60S, DEATH AT 91
Brigitte Bardot, who plays Countess Irina Lazaar, on the set during the filming of the 1968 western “Shalaco.” (Jacques Haillot/Apis/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
In the Instagram video posted Saturday, Bardot is seen gently petting a young Doberman named Urphé, who was suffering from severe generalized arthritis. The actress, long removed from the spotlight but never from her mission, seemed calm and focused as the foundation urged the public to intervene.
“He is a very sweet dog, very people-oriented, very affectionate and very playful,” the caption read. “He needs to experience life because he only knows the kennel. Today we sent an SOS for Urphé.”
Split photo of Brigitte Bardot sharing loving moments with dogs.
Just a few days earlier, the foundation shared a sweet Christmas photo of Bardot kissing another rescue dog, accompanied by a Christmas message thanking her followers for their continued commitment to animals.
“All the Brigitte Bardot Foundation teams wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,” the post said. “Thank you for your support! Take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and your pets.”
French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot visits dogs in a kennel at an animal protection shelter. (Jean-Paul Guilloteau/Kipa/Sygma via Getty Images)
The publications offered a striking final portrait of Bardot, who retreated from stardom at the peak of her career and spent the rest of her life fiercely defending animals.
Bardot was briefly hospitalized at the end of October at the Saint-Jean hospital in Toulon, where she underwent minor surgery, according to a statement from her office to AFP.
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Once known worldwide as a 1960s sex symbol, Bardot rejected Hollywood and redirected her fame, fortune and fire toward animal welfare, founding the organization that bears her name in 1986.
Bardot had been briefly hospitalized in late October at the Saint-Jean Hospital in Toulon, where she underwent minor surgery. (Art Zelin/Getty Images)
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk remembered Bardot as a force who used her voice (and her own resources) to protect animals.
“From her pigeons rescued in Saint-Tropez to her beloved dogs, PETA will miss Brigitte, an angel for animals who went to court to protect them all,” Newkirk said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “A vegetarian for years, a strong voice for all species, she sold her jewelry and other possessions to start a sanctuary and advocate for animals.” As the tributes poured in, celebrities of all generations honored Bardot's legacy.
Once known worldwide as a 1960s sex symbol, Bardot rejected Hollywood and redirected her fame, fortune and fire toward animal welfare, founding the organization that bears her name in 1986. (Getty Images)
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Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple Martin reposted an image of Bardot, writing “a true legend” along with heartbreak emojis. Lindsay Lohan also shared a photo of Bardot, adding prayer hands and a dove. Kelly Rowland also reposted images, expressing her grief through a series of iconic photographs of Bardot over the years.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot as a symbol of freedom and said France had lost a “legend of the century”.
French actress Brigitte Bardot on the set of the film “Don Juan 73” directed by Roger Vadim in Stockholm on August 4, 1972. (TT/AFP NEWS AGENCY via Getty Images)
“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 moved us. We mourned a legend of the century,” he wrote in
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Bardot rose to international fame after the 1956 film “And God Created Woman,” a box office hit that transformed her into a global sex symbol.
He worked with leading directors of his generation, including Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot and Louis Malle. Bardot is best known for films such as “La Vérité,” “Contempt (Le Mépris)” and “Viva Maria!”
Bardot was married four times and is survived by her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier.
Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
