Jane Fonda makes a charismatic presence at the opening night of the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival following the death of her ex-husband, Ted Turner.

On Tuesday, May 12, the Oscar-winning actress walked the red carpet in France, which marks her first public appearance since the death of her ex-husband, Ted Turner.

Fonda shimmered in a glitzy long-sleeved black gown by Gucci paired with Pomellato jewellery. The screen veteran was joined by Demi Moore and fronted the stage with actress Gong Li to officially open the event.

“I believe that cinema has always been an act of resistance, because we tell stories and stories are what make a civilization,” Fonda said onstage. “Stories that bring empathy to the marginalized, stories that allow us to feel across difference. Stories that let us see that there is an alternative future that is possible.”

The appearance marked Jane Fonda’s first public outing since the death of media mogul Ted Turner on May 6, less than a week earlier. 

Turner, the founder of CNN and the Turner Broadcasting System, died aged 87 after previously revealing his 2018 diagnosis with Lewy body dementia.

Fonda and Turner were married from 1991 until 2001, making him the actress’s third husband after Roger Vadim and Tom Hayden. 

Although Fonda filed for divorce after a decade together, she often spoke warmly about their relationship in later years, once affectionately referring to Turner as her “favourite ex-husband.”