> At a Glance
> – Brigitte Bardot had cancer before her Dec. 28 death at 91 in Saint-Tropez
> – Husband Bernard d’Ormale says she endured two surgeries and severe back pain
> – Private funeral set for Jan. 7 at Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, burial overlooking the Mediterranean
> – Why it matters: The screen icon’s final days cast new light on the woman who traded stardom for animal activism
Brigitte Bardot’s husband has disclosed that the French screen legend was fighting cancer in her last months, offering a poignant coda to the life of a global sex symbol who became one of Europe’s most visible animal-rights crusaders.
Final Moments at La Madrague
Bardot died peacefully at her Saint-Tropez estate, La Madrague, on Dec. 28 after two cancer operations, Bernard d’Ormale told Paris Match. He said nurses visited daily while he never left her side, describing how he still served her favorite breakfast and an afternoon ritual of tea with milk and a croissant.
On her last morning, d’Ormale recalled:
> Bernard d’Ormale stated:
> > “I was half asleep beside her. I sat up when I heard her say ‘Pioupiou,’ that little nickname we used for each other in private, and then it was over.”
He added that a “sense of peace and tranquility settled over her face” and that she looked “incredibly beautiful again, just like in her youth.”
From Star to Activist
After skyrocketing to fame in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, Bardot abandoned acting in 1973 at age 39, retreating to the French Riviera and launching the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for animal welfare in 1986. The foundation announced her death on Dec. 28, praising her decision to “give up her prestigious career to dedicate her life … to animal welfare.”
Bardot lived more than five decades in Saint-Tropez, becoming what the local tourist office calls the town’s “most glamorous ambassador.”
Wednesday Farewell
Ceremonial plans released by the town hall:
- Jan. 7 private mass at Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church
- Burial “in the strictest privacy” at a cemetery with Mediterranean views
- Tributes throughout the Riviera resort she called home
Key Takeaways
- Bardot’s cancer diagnosis was kept private until her husband’s posthumous interview
- She spent her final years focused on animal rights, not film nostalgia
- Saint-Tropez will honor her as both cultural icon and longtime resident
Her death closes the chapter on a life that moved from cinema sensation to outspoken activism, leaving a legacy as complex as the woman herself.
