"The harsh glow of the soul" - Marianne Faithfull was a 17-year-old star and became an icon of Swinging London and the Muse of the Rolling Stones in 1963.

Marianne Faithfull is one of those rare artists who can be called "icon" or "legend". No sooner had the daughter of good family ended the Catholic school to which her parents had sent her after the divorce, she was discovered in 1964 by the manager of the Rolling Stones. The song "As Tears Go By", written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, made Marianne Faithfull a rock-'n'-roll star and an icon of Swinging London at barely 17. As Jagger's friend, she shared band life with his debauchery, scandals and drug excesses. A few years later, she temporarily turned her back on the music and devoted herself to her first passion, acting. Her scandalous image helped her to make successful film appearances with Jean-Luc Godard and alongside Alain Delon, but drug addiction drove her to the brink. After being separated from Mick Jagger in 1970, she was virtually homeless; Between 1972 and 1979, periods of recovery with short-term successes were followed by renewed slumps and drug-related excesses.—Ulf Kjell Gür