STORY: Fans of late French actress Brigitte Bardot shed tears and laid flowers near her home in the southern French city of Saint-Tropez on Sunday (December 28).

Bardot, often referred to in France simply as "B.B." and whose later years were marked by animal rights campaigns and far-right political sympathies, has died at the age of 91, her foundation said on Sunday. The cause was not immediately known.

"She was a pretty woman, the prettiest woman for me. (She represents) the freedom of women, of expression," fan Sandrine Mathis said as she laid red roses near Bardot's home. "She represents France, she represents Saint-Tropez, she represents women, she represents freedom, the freedom to love and express ourselves."

Bardot made the last of her 42 films in 1973. Disenchanted with the industry, she declared the world of cinema "rotten" and left public life.

She settled in the fashionable French resort of Saint-Tropez, where she found solace among animals and the Mediterranean landscape. There, she began a passionate defender of animal welfare.

"I think her fight for animal rights is very respectable, and with her beauty, her career, she was really someone great, a great lady," said fan Sylvie, who came from Switzerland to pay homage to Bardot.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SAINT-TROPEZ, FRANCE (DECEMBER 28, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF PICTURES OF YOUNG BRIGITTE BARDOT AND FLOWERS ON METAL FENCE AT SECURITY PERIMETER AROUND BARDOT'S HOME

2. PEOPLE LAYING FLOWERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS

3. JOURNALIST ASKING (French): "What did she represent for you, Madam?"

(SOUNDBITE) (French) BRIGITTE BARDOT FAN, NO NAME GIVEN, CRYING AND SAYING:

"What she did for animals, what she did for women, all that she represented, her frankness, and thing will not be the same, we have to learn to live this way, and I have to stop speaking because I really am upset."

4. 58-YEAR-OLD BRIGITTE BARDOT FAN, SANDRINE MATHIS, LAYING FLOWERS

5. ROSES

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) 58-YEAR-OLD BRIGITTE BARDOT FAN, SANDRINE MATHIS, SAYING:

"She was a pretty woman, the prettiest woman for me. (She represents) the freedom of women, of expression. She put her career on pause, and after 50 years, she still remains an icon. She represents France, she represents Saint-Tropez, she represents women, she represents freedom, the freedom to love and express ourselves, voila."

7. POLICE STANDING NEAR SECURITY PERIMETER

8. BRIGITTE BARDOT FAN FROM SWITZERLAND, SYLVIE, LAYING FLOWERS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BRIGITTE BARDOT FAN FROM SWITZERLAND, SYLVIE, SAYING:

"She's a woman who I loved and respected a lot. And I think her fight for animal rights is very respectable, and with her beauty, her career, she was really someone great, a great lady."

10. POLICE AT SECURITY PERIMETER