Jane Birkin: Singer and actress recovering from stroke

Birkin appeared at the Cannes film festival earlier this year

British actress and singer Jane Birkin has cancelled her appearance at the American Film Festival in Deauville, France, as she recovers from a stroke.

The former partner and muse of French crooner Serge Gainsbourg "suffered a minor form of stroke a few days ago," the family said in a statement to AFP.

They added that the 74-year-old was "doing well".

Birkin was due to discuss Jane, a documentary about her by her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg, at the festival.

London-born Birkin is still a popular figure in France - she shot to fame with the release of the song Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus, a duet recorded with her then boyfriend Serge Gainsbourg in 1968, months after they met on the set of the film Slogan.

Gainsbourg and Birkin were together for 12 years

Featuring groaning and heavy breathing, the song was banned in several countries and denounced by the Vatican for its suggested sexual content.

The pair were together for 12 years but remained friends after their split, with Gainsbourg still writing songs for his former lover.

Her acting credits have included films such as the 1966 classic Blow Up, Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982).

Her more recent musical endeavours include 2017's Birkin/Gainsbourg: Le Symphonique, a collection of songs Gainsbourg had written for her during and after their relationship, and this year's Oh! Pardon tu dormais...?

She also modelled and gave her name to the famous Hermes Birkin bag - although confessed in 2017 that she rarely uses one herself anymore as it's too heavy for her.