Marianne Faithfull, the British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones' greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied,

Marianne Faithfull, a singer and actress known for hits like "As Tears Go By," died Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed. She was 78. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer,

The singer, who died on Thursday at 78, spent decades in the spotlight exercising a very specific and subversive power.