Marina Vlady, actress and widow of Vladimir Vysotsky, has passed away

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French actress and writer Marina Vlady, the widow of Vladimir Vysotsky, died on September 24 in France at the age of 88. In recent years, she lived a rather secluded life in Paris and rarely appeared in public. Vlady passed away at her home, surrounded by her loved ones and pets.

The actress's death was announced by her children. No official cause of death was given, but on September 25, Vladimir Vysotsky's son Nikita told TASS that Vlady had been ill for a long time. He did not provide any other details about the illness.

In recent years, Vlady barely participated in public life. After the death of her fourth husband, oncologist Léon Schwartzenberg, in 2003, she continued to pursue literature. Vlady wrote short stories, novels, memoirs, and essays, and also worked with materials related to Vladimir Vysotsky. After the poet's death, she released a book of memoirs, "Vladimir, or the Aborted Flight," and staged a play of the same name.

Vysotsky's son Nikita said that he last saw Vlady about 15–20 years ago. At the same time, he emphasized her contribution to preserving the memory of his father.

Marina Vlady was the stage name of Catherine Marina de Poliakoff-Baidaroff. She was born on May 10, 1938, in Clichy, France, to a family of Russian emigrants. Vlady began her acting career in childhood, landing her first role at the age of 10. Over the years of her work, she starred in about a hundred films.

Vlady collaborated with Jean-Luc Godard, Orson Welles, and other famous directors. Among her notable works are "La Sorcière" ("The Sorceress"), "Two or Three Things I Know About Her," "The Princess of Cleves," and "Chimes at Midnight." In 1963, the actress won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Marco Ferreri's film "The Conjugal Bed" (also known as "The Queen Bee"). In 1965, Vlady served as a jury member at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Vlady met Vladimir Vysotsky in 1967. They married in 1970 and remained together until the poet's death in 1980. The couple had no children. Prior to her marriage to Vysotsky, the actress was married to director Robert Hossein and pilot Jean-Claude Brouillet, and after the poet's death, she married Léon Schwartzenberg. Vlady had three sons from her previous marriages.