Anita Pallenberg, an actress, model and longtime girlfriend of Rolling Stones founding member Keith Richards, has died. She was 73.
The Italian-German had roles in “Barbarella,” “Performance” — with Stones singer Mick Jagger — and “Candy” starring Marlon Brando and Richard Burton.
Pallenberg’s friend Stella Schnabel announced news of her death on Instagram Tuesday, writing: “I have never met a woman quite like you Anita. I don’t think there is anybody in this universe like you.”
Born in German-occupied Rome towards the end of World War II, Pallenberg met original Stones leader Brian Jones while in Munich. She later settled in London and became infamous for her relationships with various members of the English rock band.
She left Jones for Richards in 1967 after claiming the former became violent with her, and stayed with the latter until 1980, although they were never married. Richards later claimed in his autobiography, “Life,” that Pallenberg also had an affair with Jagger while filming “Performance,” however she denied it.
Pallenberg even had an influence on the band’s music, prompting Jagger to remix some of the tracks on the 1968 album “Beggars Banquet,” along with singing vocals on “Sympathy for the Devil.”
In 1979, Pallenberg was cleared of manslaughter after 17-year-old Scott Cantrell fatally shot himself in her bed.
The part-time groundskeeper’s death was later ruled a suicide and it is thought that the couple were playing Russian roulette before the shooting. Other brushes with the law include arrests for heroin and marijuana possession.
The actress returned to TV in 2001 alongside longtime friend and longtime Jagger girlfriend Marianne Faithfull on an episode of the BBC sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous” in which the pair played God and the Devil.
She is survived by two children — Marlon and Angela — fathered by Richards. A third baby born in 1973 died in his cot at 10 weeks old.