Brigitte Bardot made a name for herself in both French cinema and animal rights activism. The late And God Created Woman star died on December 28, 2025, weeks after she was hospitalized for an undisclosed procedure. Bardot was 91, and her death was confirmed by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” the foundation’s announcement read.
Below, get updates on Bardot’s cause of death and everything else we know about her final days.
Did Brigitte Bardot Have Health Issues?
Yes, Bardot suffered from a few health setbacks throughout her life. In 1984, she was diagnosed with breast cancer but managed to beat it.
She also suffered from a suicide attempt after giving birth to her only child, son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, who was born in January 1960. At the time, paparazzi had aggressively followed her, and she revealed in her memoir that she did not want to be a mother.
In 2023, Bardot’s husband, Bernard d’Ormale, said she was having trouble breathing during a heat wave at home in Saint-Tropez, France, and he sought medical assistance for her, per the Los Angeles Times.
Around two years later, Bardot was hospitalized for almost a month in Toulon, France, per French outlet Var-Matin. In October 2025, she underwent a minor surgery due to a “serious illness,” the newspaper reported. Due to the health scare, death rumors emerged that month, which Bardot quickly shut down in a tweet.
“I don’t know which imbecile launched this fake news tonight about my disappearance, but rest assured that I’m doing well and have no intention of bowing out. To those who have ears,” Bardot tweeted in French, which has been translated to English.
How Did Brigitte Bardot Die?
At the time of publication, Bardot’s cause of death was not disclosed. It’s still unclear how she died.
Was Brigitte Bardot Married?
Yes, Bardot was married to her fourth husband, d’Ormale. The couple wed in 1992 and stayed together until she died in 2025.
Before finding love with d’Ornale, Bardot was married three times. Her first marriage was to Roger Vadim from 1952 to 1957. Next, in 1959, she married second husband Jacques Charrier, with whom she shared son Nicolas. Bardot and Charrier divorced in 1962. From 1966 to 1969, Bardot was married to third husband Gunter Sachs.
Did Brigitte Bardot Have Children?
Yes, as previously noted, Bardot is survived by her only child, Nicolas. The two had a strained relationship for years because Bardot did not want to be a mother, she indicated in her 1997 memoir, Initiales B.B.: Mémoires (Initials B.B.). In the book, the late Viva Maria! star compared her pregnant belly to a “cancerous tumor” and wrote that she would have “preferred to give birth to a little dog” instead of her son.
Bardot also admitted that she tried to get an abortion, but the practice was illegal in France at the time. She also tried to punch herself in the stomach and attempted to get morphine from a doctor, according to The Independent.
“I’m not made to be a mother,” Bardot wrote in her memoir. “I’m not adult enough — I know it’s horrible to have to admit that, but I’m not adult enough to take care of a child.”
Bardot’s son and his father later sued her over the remarks she made about them in her memoir. However, Bardot revealed years later that she and Nicolas made amends and occasionally stayed in contact.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
