Former French President Félix Faure suffered a fatal stroke while receiving oral sex from his mistress.
It must have been a strange sight for the staff of the Élysée Palace. When they rushed over, their president was lying on a sofa while a young woman hurriedly put on her last few clothes. The woman was Marguerite Steinheil.
That’s how she became famous unintentionally.
Marguerite was no stranger to Parisian society. The daughter of a wealthy family, she married the son of an even wealthier family. Through her husband, she met the French president in 1897 and shortly thereafter became his mistress.
On February 16, 1899, Marguerite visited the president again. Whatever she did with her mouth was apparently too much for Faure. He suffered a stroke and died a few hours later.
Marguerite was initially shocked, then became famous and eventually had further relationships with influential men of her time.