Brigitte Bardot's funeral was being held with a private service and a public homage in Saint-Tropez, the French Riviera resort where she lived after retiring from movie stardom.

Local authorities in France say Brigitte Bardot’s funeral is set for next week in the French Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez which she helped make famous.

Brigitte Bardot, who has died at 91, often said that the hounding she received from the world's press in her years as a sex symbol of the 1960s made her identify with hunted and abused animals.

French 1960s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot has died at age 91.