Anita Pallenberg ― model, actress, It girl, style icon and former partner to Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards ― has died. She was 73.
The sad news was confirmed by friends of Pallenberg, including Stella Schnabel and Bebe Buell, on social media. Richards also shared a tribute to Pallenberg on Twitter, calling her “a most remarkable woman.”
A cause of death has not yet been released.
“I have never met a woman quite like you, Anita,” Schnabel wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her and Pallenberg.
“You showed about life and myself and how to grow and become and exist with it all. The greatest woman I have ever known,” she added, according to People. (Schnabel has made her Instagram account private.)
”I will love you forever, dearest Anita,” Buell wrote alongside a vintage photo of a smiling Pallenberg. “Sleep with the special angels, Gods & Goddesses.”
Pallenberg was born in Rome in 1944 to an Italian father and German mother. In her teens, she began modeling and, according to the Guardian, even spent time at Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York.
In 1965, Pallenberg met The Rolling Stones backstage at one of their concerts and developed a relationship with guitarist and founding band member Brian Jones. After about two years, in 1967, Pallenberg left Jones for Richards as the previous relationship reportedly became violent.
Pallenberg and Richards, who both struggled with drug abuse, remained in a relationship until 1980 and had three children together: Marlon, Angela and Tara, who died during infancy.
Pallenberg became a muse for the Stones, providing backup vocals for their hit “Sympathy for the Devil” and reportedly giving the band feedback on their music, according to the Guardian.
She also appeared in a number of films, including “Candy” (1968), “Barbarella” (1968), “Performance” (1970) with Stones frontman Mick Jagger, an episode of “Absolutely Fabulous” in 2001 and Harmony Korine’s film “Mister Lonely” (2007). Pallenberg also tried her hand at a career in fashion, graduating with a degree from renowned school Central Saint Martins in 1994.
She is survived by two of her children, Marlon and Angela, and five grandchildren.
This post has been updated to include Keith Richards’ tweet.
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