Jane Birkin cancels Morocco gig for health reasons

Morocco's Mawazine music festival announced Thursday that singer and actress Jane Birkin has cancelled her scheduled appearance in May for health reasons. "It is with regret that the Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival informs that the Jane Birkin concert initially scheduled for May 22 in Rabat is cancelled due to the artist's health," the festival said in a statement. The 11th edition of the Mawazine festival, the country's largest that features prominent Arab and Western artists, will be held in Rabat from May 18 to 26. American music stars Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey are among those expected to perform "We have been informed today that Jane Birkin has been admitted to a hospital in France and we regret her absence at Mawazine," the festival's artistic director Aziz Daki said Thursday. Birkin, 65, who holds British and French citizenship, became famous largely through her creative and personal relationship with French music star Serge Gainsbourg, performing his hit "Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus".