Legendary French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at 91, her foundation announced Sunday.

“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement to the French news agency Agence France-Presse.

Bardot had been hospitalized briefly in late October at Saint-Jean Hospital in Toulon, where she underwent a minor surgical procedure, according to a statement from her office to AFP.

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The iconic actress became known in the 1950s and 1960s for her “sex kitten” image, a label that came to define her on-screen persona.

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