She Rolled Through The Stones
Anita Pallenberg was the Italian-German “It Girl” who dated not one, but two members of the Rolling Stones. From her explosive relationship with Brian Jones to her scandalizing romance with Keith Richards, Pallenberg couldn’t stay out of the headlines. But a terrible tragedy brought this Rolling Stone to a bloody stop.
1. Her Birthplace Was A Mystery
Anita Pallenberg started rolling on April 6, 1942, but even her origin story sparked intrigue. While most sources claimed Rome as her birthplace, her son Marlon Richards revealed after her passing that she’d actually been born in Hamburg, Germany.
Either way, her childhood was scandalous.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Was A German Aristocrat
Anita Pallenberg was born with a high pedigree. Her mother, Paula, might have been a humble secretary at the German embassy, but her father was practically nobility. Arnold “Arnaldo” Pallenberg was a German-Italian sales agent descended from the prestigious Pallenberg dynasty of furniture manufacturers.
When he wasn’t counting his millions, he was painting and singing—and avoiding his family.
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3. She Didn’t Meet Her Father For Years
WWII tore the Pallenberg family apart before Pallenberg could form memories. As the conflict ravaged Europe, Pallenberg was separated from her father for her earliest years—she wouldn’t meet him until she turned three. Their eventual reunion was tragically short-lived.
Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Wikimedia Commons
4. Her Father Made Her Multilingual
Pallenberg’s father, Arnold, might have been absent for years, but he had specific plans for his daughter’s education. He shipped young Anita off to a German boarding school, determined to have her master his native tongue. The strategy worked brilliantly—she became fluent in four languages while still a child.
Her linguistic talents couldn’t save her from academic disaster, though.
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5. She Didn’t Last Long In School
Pallenberg’s boarding school career ended abruptly and under a cloud of mystery. When she was just 16 years old, the school administrators kicked her out. The reasons for her expulsion aren’t clear, but clearly she was too free spirited for stuffy boarding schools. Out on her own, she headed straight for Rome’s glamorous “Dolce Vita” scene, diving into the decadent lifestyle of 1950s Italian high society.
Her rebellious streak was just getting started.
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6. She Scandalized New York Audiences
After conquering Rome, Pallenberg jetted to New York City and immediately fell in with the same rebellious art scene, palling around with the likes of Andy Warhol. She quickly joined the experimental Living Theatre, starring in “Paradise Now”—a production so provocative it featured full frontal exposure.
Her fearlessness caught the fashion world’s attention.
7. Her Beauty Became Her Brand
Still just 16 years old, Pallenberg launched her modeling career in Paris with an unforgettable tagline. Her agency, knowing that they had something special on their hands, marketed her as “too beautiful to get out of bed”. The line captured both her stunning looks and her rejection of convention.
She defied convection all the time.
8. She Never Finished Anything Academic
Even after her expulsion, Pallenberg still had an academic interest. She began studying medicine, picture restoration, and graphic design—but commitment wasn’t her strong suit. She dabbled in each field without completing a single degree, preferring to collect knowledge rather than credentials.
Her real education happened in the wild world of rock and roll.
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9. She Was Already An “It Girl”
By 1965, when Anita Pallenberg first encountered the Rolling Stones, she’d already lived several lifetimes. Her modelling career had landed her in fashion magazines and films and she “knew Andy Warhol and ‘everyone else’ in New York”. Most importantly, she knew all of the four-letter words in six languages, dabbled with substances and, “was highly qualified in the arts of [romance]”.
Her meeting with the band would change rock history forever.
10. She Was Wilder Than The Stones
By the time that Pallenberg first crossed paths with the Rolling Stones in 1965 Munich, she was already an “It Girl”. In between her modelling assignment, she offered the members of the burgeoning band hashish—which they surprisingly declined. Nevertheless, she still found her way into Brian Jones’ hotel room later that night.
That encounter would launch rock’s most notorious love triangle.
11. She Tripped Acid With Brian Jones
Brian Jones, the Stones’ multi-instrumentalist, just so happened to speak German, giving him and Anita Pallenberg an instant connection. They quickly entered a relationship that would last two years—but it wasn’t just their love of languages that bonded them together. Pallenberg later recalled they “took a lot of acid” together.
Their psychedelic trips would send Jones spiraling into terrifying nightmares that would soon haunt Pallenberg even more than him.
12. She Fought Back Hard
Keith Richards, the Stones’ principal guitarist, revealed the dark truth about Jones in his memoir Life. “Brian,” he said, “was a woman beater”. But Richards added a crucial detail: “The one woman in the world you did not want to try and beat up on was Anita Pallenberg. Every time they had a fight, Brian would come out bandaged and bruised”.
They kept their volatile relationship hidden—for the time being.
13. Her First Film Featured Jones
Despite their rocky romance, Pallenberg made her cinematic debut in 1967’s A Degree of Murder—a film that her boyfriend, Jones, had scored. Their artistic collaboration masked the growing darkness in their personal relationship. Everything would explode on their next vacation.
14. She Escaped Jones In Morocco
In 1967, Anita Pallenberg finally reached her breaking point with Jones during a Moroccan vacation. After a particularly heated argument, the couple—as usual—came to blows. And it almost turned fatal. As a result of their fight, Jones landed in the hospital, and Pallenberg made the decision to end their tumultuous two-year relationship for good.
Her knight in shining armor was already waiting.
15. She Switched Stones Mid-Tour
When Keith Richards witnessed Jones attacking Pallenberg in Morocco, he immediately intervened, pulling her away from danger. Richards then whisked her back to England where she moved straight into his home, launching a relationship that would define both their lives from 1967 to 1980.
Richards, it turns out, was every bit the gentleman that his bandmate hadn’t been.
Steve Denenberg, Wikimedia Commons
16. She Made The First Move
Richards later confessed the steamy details of how his long romance with Anita Pallenberg began. And it wasn’t what anyone had expected. “Anita made the first move,” the Rolling Stones guitarist confessed. “I just could not put the make on my friend’s girl, even though he'd become [a jerk]”.
Richards even described the exact moment that the pair crossed the line. “In the back of the Bentley, somewhere between Barcelona and Valencia…the next thing I know she’s giving me a [job]”. Pallenberg’s influence on the band went beyond bedroom antics.
Machocarioca, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Transformed The Stones’ Sound
Pallenberg’s relationship with Jones shaped the sound of the Rolling Stones more than even their fans knew. It was Pallenberg’s influence over Jones that convinced him to experiment musically on the Stones’ 1966 album “Aftermath”. Her intelligence and sophistication even captured Hollywood’s attention.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
18. She Ruled In Barbarella
Anita Pallenberg commanded the screen as the Great Tyrant in Roger Vadim’s 1968 sci-fi romp Barbarella (1968). But her big film debut came with a big asterisk. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Joan Greenwood dubbed all of Pallenberg’s dialogue. Nevertheless, the film’s campy aesthetic perfectly matched Pallenberg’s larger-than-life persona—and the audiences lapped it up.
Screenshot from Barbarella, Paramount Pictures (1968)
19. She Acted With Hollywood Legends
Pallenberg seemed destined for a Hollywood career with her follow-up film to Barbarella. She next starred in the 1968 cult classic Candy, alongside the legendary Marlon Brando. After that, she appeared in the vaunted director Marco Ferreri’s Dillinger is Dead (1969), where she portrayed Michel Piccoli’s sleeping wife.
Her most scandalous role was yet to come.
Screenshot from Candy, Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1968)
20. Her Film Scared The Studio
Pallenberg’s next film appearance brought her off-screen rock music connections (and all of the drama) to wider audiences. She starred as Pherber in the avant-garde masterpiece Performance (1970), acting opposite Mick Jagger. Though filmed in 1968, nervous studio executives delayed the movie’s release for two years, terrified by its provocative content.
The film’s production would spark rumors that haunted her forever.
Screenshot from Performance, Warner Bros. (1970)
21. She Was Never Meant To “Perform”
Anita Pallenberg was never meant to appear in Performance. She had actually co-written the screenplay for the film with Donald Cammell. It was only when the original actress suffered a medical emergency that Pallenberg had to step in as her replacement. The unexpected film appearance stirred a controversy she would never outlive.
Screenshot from Performance, Warner Bros. (1970)
22. She Sparked Jealousy Between Stones
Once she appeared on-screen in Performance, rumors began swirling that Pallenberg had a brief affair with her co-star Mick Jagger during filming. Keith Richards added fuel to the fire when, in his autobiography, he confirmed the affair. Pallenberg, however, denied the affair twice—first in March 2007 and then again in a 2008 interview.
Richards claimed to have had proof of his girlfriend’s infidelity.
Screenshot from Performance, Warner Bros. (1970)
23. Her Daughter’s Paternity Became Suspect
Richards’ paranoia about the alleged affair between Pallenberg and Jagger reached its peak when Pallenberg gave birth to a daughter, Dandelion, in 1972. He became so convinced of Pallenberg’s infidelity that he actually believed Jagger, not him, had fathered the child. Despite the drama, Pallenberg wielded unprecedented power in the band.
24. She Changed The Stones’ Music
Anita Pallenberg commanded unusual respect in rock’s male-dominated world of the late 1960s. Jagger valued her opinion so highly that he ordered tracks on “Beggars Banquet” to be completely remixed after she criticized them. In fact, she practically took over the band.
Gorup de Besanez, Wikimedia Commons
25. Her Voice Graced A Classic
The 2002 compilation “Forty Licks” revealed a hidden piece of rock history. Pallenberg, it turns out, had provided the background vocals on the Stones’ legendary track “Sympathy for the Devil”. Though she never had a single of her own in which she sang lead vocals, she had more than enough material to write a tragic ballad.
Screenshot from Sympathy for the Devil, Cupid Productions (1968)
26. She Sacrificed Her First Pregnancy
Pallenberg had first become pregnant in 1968, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Already committed to filming Performance, she later revealed that she had felt pressured to have an abortion rather than lose the role. The decision left her feeling extremely resentful.
Life would soon give her another chance at motherhood.
Screenshot from Performance, Warner Bros. (1970)
27. Her Son Arrived After Tragedy
Pallenberg soon became pregnant again while filming Performance. But this time she was determined to carry the baby to term. And she did. She gave birth to son Marlon Leon Sundeep on August 10, 1969—exactly one month after Brian Jones, her ex, drowned in his swimming pool.
Her second child would arrive under darker circumstances.
28. Her Addiction Cost Her Dearly
On April 17, 1972, Anita Pallenberg gave birth to a baby girl, Dandelion Angela (AKA Angela). But by then, according to various reports, Pallenberg had become “a stone-cold, non-functioning junkie”. For the safety of their daughter, Richards had to ship the baby off to be raised by his mother.
The substances to which she had become addicted would claim an even more devastating price.
29. She Lost Her Baby Boy
In 1976, while both Pallenberg and Richards battled deep addiction, they welcomed son Tara Jo Jo Gunne on March 26. But, this time, their addiction would damage more than their own lives. Just 10 weeks later, on June 6, 1976, the infant Tara Jo Jo Gunne passed on from either SIDS or pneumonia.
The tragedy shattered what remained of his parents’ relationship.
30. She Never Spoke About Tara
Richards revealed the devastating aftermath of their loss: He and Pallenberg never once discussed Tara Jo Jo’s tragic passing. “It certainly further eroded our relationship,” Richards admitted, “and Anita descended further into fear and paranoia”.
The fallout would be devastating.
Gijsbert Hanekroot, Getty Images
31. She Lost Her Other Daughter
After Tara Jo Jo’s passing, Richards’ mother didn’t hold back. She blamed Pallenberg for the tragedy and declared her an unfit mother. For the safety of Pallenberg’s surviving children, she took Angela to live with her, leaving Pallenberg to raise only Marlon—mostly on the road with the Rolling Stones.
The rock and roll lifestyle was about to catch up with them.
32. She Witnessed Richards’ Toronto Bust
On February 24, 1977, Pallenberg was with Richards and seven-year-old Marlon when reality hit the couple hard. The Canadian authorities placed the Rolling Stones guitarist in custody, charging him with possession and trafficking of smack. The family’s legal troubles were just beginning.
Her own comeuppance had only been days earlier.
Olavi Kaskisuo / Lehtikuva, Wikimedia Commons
33. She Also Got Busted At The Airport
When their entourage arrived at Toronto International Airport days before Richards’ charges, customs officials had already fingered Pallenberg. As her luggage arrived, the authorities discovered 10 grams of hashish and a blackened spoon in Pallenberg’s luggage. The paraphernalia was more than enough for the authorities to charge her.
She took a lighter sentence than her boyfriend would face.
34. She Pled Guilty To Possession
Following the 1977 Toronto incident, Pallenberg pled guilty to possession charges for a prohibited substance. The court convicted and fined her several weeks after Richards’ detainment, adding another black mark to her increasingly troubled record. Their relationship wouldn’t survive the fallout.
35. She Was No Longer Rolling With The Stones
After Richards received probation in 1978, he was done with Pallenberg and the drama she brought. He returned to recording with a younger blonde model—the Swede, Lil Wenglass Green. Meanwhile, the Stones all agreed to banish Pallenberg to “Frog Hollow” (a two-story country house in South Salem, New York) where she couldn’t cause any more trouble.
Or so they thought.
36. Her Bed Became A Bloodbath
On July 20, 1979, Pallenberg’s bed became the scene of a horrific incident. Scott Cantrell, a 17-year-old male, had taken a shot to the head while lying in Pallenberg’s bed at the South Salem house. The fatal shooting iron belonged to Keith Richards, but no one was looking at him for answers. The relationship between Pallenberg and Cantrell was darker than anyone knew.
37. She Had A Teenage Boyfriend
In his memoir, Richards’ revealed the shocking truth about Cantrell and Pallenberg. According to Richards, the teenager had been Pallenberg’s “young boyfriend”. Even more horrifying were the few details that he revealed. When the shot went off, 10-year-old Marlon “heard Anita screaming and then saw her running down the stairs covered in blood”.
The scene Pallenberg’s son discovered would haunt him forever.
38. Her Son Saw Everything
Pallenberg’s son, Marlon, later recalled the horrifying discovery in his mother’s bedroom. “I went [my God, Jesus Christ]. I had to have a little peek, so I did go up and saw all this brain matter all over the walls”. The traumatic image burned into the young boy’s memory. And his mother’s testimony only raised more questions.
39. She Was A Suspect
For the official records, authorities noted that Pallenberg had employed Cantrell as a part-time groundsman at the property. But the fact that he was in her bedroom—in fact, in her bed—sparked immediate suspicion. Naturally, the authorities suspected Pallenberg was somehow responsible for the whole sordid mess.
And her story didn’t quite add up.
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40. She Claimed Innocence
Pallenberg’s official story only raised more questions. She told investigators that Cantrell “was lying on top of the bed, over the covers” while she “was tidying up” with her back turned to him. Then, suddenly, she claimed, she heard the fatal shot. Curiously, she added, “I don't like [shooting irons]”.
The court case was even more curious.
41. She Got Away With It
A grand jury reviewed the evidence surrounding Cantrell’s horrific passing, including talk of a game of Russian roulette gone wrong. Despite the suspicious circumstances (and Pallenberg’s odd story), they declined to indict Pallenberg for the teenager’s demise. Instead, they only recommended two misdemeanor charges relating to possession of the Richards’ shooting iron.
She kept her freedom—but she lost her love.
42. She Lost Richards Forever
Richards wrote the epitaph for his relationship with Pallenberg in his memoir Life, “It was a miracle how that case just disappeared,” he wrote. “That was the final curtain for me and Anita, apart from trips to see the children. It was the end. Thanks for the memories, girl”.
But Richards couldn’t quite let go completely.
43. She Still Had Richards’ Heart
In 1981, even after the Cantrell incident and meeting his future wife Patti Hansen, Richards made a stunning confession. He admitted that, despite all of the drama and grief she caused him (the addiction, the lost children, the teenage lover), he still loved Pallenberg. But it didn’t seem that Pallenberg could love herself.
At least, not as she was.
44. She Went Back To School
Following the Cantrell incident, Pallenberg seemed to turn her life around. By the 1990s, she returned to education, enrolling at Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion. And, for once, she finished a program, graduating in 1994 with a fashion and textile degree at the age of 52. Nevertheless, she decided against pursuing the career, finding the industry too “cutthroat and cruel”.
45. She Practiced Black Magic
Pallenberg’s apparent aboutface might not have been as complete as she wanted everyone to believe. Tony Sanchez, Richards’ former bodyguard, exposed Pallenberg’s occult practices in his tell-all account. “She was obsessed with black magic,” he revealed, “and began to carry a string of garlic with her everywhere—even to bed”.
Despite the darkness, people still gravitated toward her.
46. She Was Everyone’s Rock
Sanchez also captured Pallenberg’s magnetic power, describing her as “like a life-force, a woman so powerful, so full of strength and determination that men came to lean on her”. Despite the chaos and tragedy that seemed to surround her, those who loved her couldn’t let her go.
Screenshot from Performance, Warner Bros. (1970)
47. She Was The Fifth Stone
A close associate of the Rolling Stones revealed Pallenberg’s true impact on the band and rock music. “Anita is a Rolling Stone,” the associate claimed. “She, Mick, Keith and Brian were the Rolling Stones. Her influence has been profound. She keeps things crazy”. But Pallenberg refused to capitalize on her notoriety.
Hugo van Gelderen / Anefo, Wikimedia Commons
48. She Rejected Tell-All Offers
Publishers desperately wanted Pallenberg’s memoir. The salacious details about her dalliances with the Stones, the tragic story of the child she had lost, the gruesome truth about the Cantrell affair. Shockingly, however, Pallenberg turned them all down. In 2008, she explained, saying, “The publishers want to hear only about the Stones and more dirt on Mick Jagger and I'm just not interested”.
Her story remained hidden—for a time.
49. Her Grandchildren Found Her Secrets
After Pallenberg passed, her grandchildren discovered an unpublished memoir alongside taped interviews she’d secretly recorded. These hidden treasures became the foundation for the 2024 documentary Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg.
Her later years brought both recovery and relapse.
Screenshot from Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, Magnolia Pictures (2023)
50. She Battled Addiction Forever
Pallenberg spent her final decades between Chelsea, London, and Jamaica, detoxing in the early 1980s before relapsing. She stopped drinking in 1987, relapsed after hip surgery in 2004, but by 2014 she was able to claim 14 years clean from substances with regular attendance at AA meetings.
But her body bore the scars of her wild life.
51. Her Body Paid The Price
Pallenberg had contracted hepatitis C and, in the course of her life, endured two hip surgeries. One of her surgeries ended up being a total replacement that took her once fierce catwalk and left her with a limp. Years of hard living had taken their toll on the woman who once epitomized rock and roll excess.
Nevertheless, she faced mortality with characteristic bluntness.
Yui Mok - PA Images, Getty Images
52. She Was Ready To Go
Pallenberg’s deteriorating physical health hadn’t just taken her body from her—it had taken her spirit as well. In August 2016, she made a shocking confession to interviewer Alain Elkann: “I am ready to [go],” she said. “I have done so much here. My Mum [passed] at 94. I don't want to lose my independence. Now I am over 70 and to be honest I did not think I would live over 40”.
Her wish came true sooner than she knew.
Rune Hellestad - Corbis, Getty Images
53. She Finally Found Peace
On June 13, 2017, Pallenberg drew her final breath at the age of 75 from complications of hepatitis C. The woman who’d rolled with the Stones—Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger—and lived decades of rock and roll excess left behind two children and five grandchildren.
Rune Hellestad - Corbis, Getty Images
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