French cinema star Brigitte Bardot die at age 91

French actress Brigitte Bardot don die at di age of 91, her foundation tok.

Di statement wey AFP news agency see, call her "world-renowned actress and singer, wey choose to abandon her ogbonge career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation".

"Di Brigitte Bardot Foundation announce wit immense sadness di death of dia founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, wey choose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation."

Di statement no tok di time or place wia Bardot die.

She feature for a number of French cinema hits in di 1950s and 1960s – wey include 1956's And God Created Woman – she dey known as symbol of sexual liberation

Who be Brigitte Bardot?

Dem born Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot for Paris on 28 September 1934 to a wealthy family.

She go on to star in a number of French cinema hits, including 1956's And God Created Woman.

She dey popularly known as "BB" for her home kontri. Bardot dey known as a symbol of sexual liberation for di 1950s - and she don act inside almost 50 films.

Later in life, she dey fined multiple times on top accuse say she incite racial hatred.

Afta nearly 50 feems, Bardot turn heads wen she announce say she go step away from di big screen wen she be just 39 for 1973.

Instead, she announce say she go dedicate her life to animal welfare.

"I give my youth and beauty to men, I give my wisdom and experience to animals," Bardot famously tok.

For 1986, Bardot launch her own animal rights charity - di Brigitte Bardot Foundation - wey dey work to protect wild and domestic animals.

Di actress later becom vegetarian, and for 2013, she bin threaten to apply for Russian citizenship in protest against plans to kill two sick elephants for one French zoo.

Her activism get international scope and e go far: for 2001, Bardot celebrate success afta she sign one deal wit di mayor of Bucharest to save about 100,000 stray dogs from death.

According to dia website, Bardot foundation now get "more dan 70,000 donors worldwide, nearly 300 employees and more dan 500 volunteer investigators and delegates".

A reluctant mother

For 1959, Brigitte - afta several love affairs – marry one actor Jacques Charrier, wey dem togeda feature for one feem Babette Goes To War.

Di couple get one son, Nicolas, but Bardot hate her pregnancy: repeatedly she go punch hersef for belle and beg doctor for morphine to cause miscarriage.

"I look my flat, slender belly for di mirror like a dear friend upon whom I dey about to close a coffin lid," she later recall.

Afta di inevitable divorce, Nicholas no see im mother for decades.

E sue Bardot for emotional damage wen she publish one autobiography wey she tok say she for prefer to "give birth to little dog".

Brigitte at di time na di highest paid actress for France, and some suggest say she dey more valuable in terms of foreign trade pass di kontri car industry.

But she want make pipo take her seriously as actress. "I no get veri much chance to act," she complain, "mostly I gatz undress."

She begin to attract di attention of Europe most respected feem-makers, winning critical acclaim for Jean-Luc Godard powerful, New Wave drama, Le Mépris (Contempt).

But di overall quality of her output dey mixed, especially wen she venture outside France and into Hollywood.

A third marriage to one millionaire German playboy, dey followed by a string of lovers - although, uncharacteristically, she reject Sean Connery.

She make dozens of records, alongside Serge Gainsbourg and Sacha Distel.

Animal rights campaigner

Afta nearly 50 feems, she announce say she dey retire to devote her life to animal welfare for 1973.

"I give my beauty and my youth to men", she tok. "I go give my wisdom and experience to animals".

She raise 3m francs (den about £300,000) to establish di Brigitte Bardot Foundation, by auctioning off her jewellery and feem memorabilia.

Bardot bin campaign against di annual seal cull for Canada, and e irritate some of her kontri pipo as she condemn di eating of horse meat.

She becom vegetarian, she attack di Chinese govnment for "torturing" bears, and spend hundreds of thousands on one programme to sterilise Romanian stray dogs.

Troubled end to troubled life

For her later years, authorities prosecute her on multiple occasions for racial hatred.

She bin kick against di way di Islamic and Jewish faiths slaughter animals for food.

But di way she take voice her criticism bin dey unforgivable, and - indeed - illegal.

For 1999, she write say "Overpopulation of foreigners don attack her homeland, especially Muslims". Dis land Bardot huge fine.

She bin go on to criticise interracial marriages and insult gay men wey, in her words, "jiggle dia bottoms, put dia little fingers for di air, and wit dia little castrato voices moan about wetin dose ghastly heteros put dem through".

Bardot bin dey for court so often dat for 2008, di prosecutor declare say im dey "weary" of charging her.

For di 1960s, dem choose Brigitte Bardot as di official face of Marianne, di emblem of French liberty.

Den she hersef becom icon: beautiful, liberated, modern woman wey no gree conform to outdated stereotypes.

Afta three failed marriages plus plenti suicide attempts, she give up di spotlight to campaign against cruelty to animals.

She dey survived by her fourth husband Bernard d'Ormale, one former adviser to di late far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

And, for troubled end to troubled life, Bardot political opinions mean say she spend her final years as semi-recluse fighting race-hate allegations for courts.