French film giant Alain Delon dies aged 88
The actor was a luminary of the golden age of French cinema, celebrated for his tough-guy roles in classics like The Samurai and Borsalino.
In recent years, Delon has faced health challenges and has largely withdrawn from public life. His family troubles have also attracted media attention in France.
Brigitte Bardot led the tributes, stating that Delon’s passing has left a “huge void that nothing and no one will be able to fill.”
Once hailed as the most beautiful man in film, Delon captivated audiences with his performances in 1960s hits such as The Leopard and Rocco and His Brothers. His charm shone through in every role, whether as a murderer or a charismatic conman.
Though his film appearances became scarce from the 1990s onwards, he continued to be a prominent figure in celebrity news.
Throughout his career, Delon appeared in nearly 90 films.
French President Emmanuel Macron was among those paying tribute to Delon on Sunday, saying the actor “played legendary roles and made the world dream”.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, he added: “Melancholy, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: he was a French monument.”
A statement from his family said: “Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as (his dog) Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father.
“He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family.”
Le Parisian newspaper called Delon “a legend of the cinema”, while Liberation described him as “a leading figure of cinema, symbol of shadowy masculinity, the actor with crazy charisma”.
In a statement to the AFP, Brigitte Bardot said Delon “represented the best of France’s ‘prestige cinema'”.
“An ambassador of elegance, talent, beauty. I lose a friend, an alter ego, a partner.”
Delon’s last major public appearance was to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.
At the event, he made an emotional speech in which he appeared to bid farewell to cinema.
“It’s a bit of a posthumous tribute, but from my lifetime,” he had said. “I am going to leave, but I won’t leave without thanking you.”
Former president of the Cannes festival, Gilles Jacob, described Delon as “a lion… an actor with a steely gaze”, while Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice film festival, said he was an “icon” who had climbed “to the Olympus of the immortals”.
One of his fans from Paris reacting to news of his death, meanwhile, told Reuters News Agency: “I thought he could never die.”
For decades, the French public has followed the ins and outs of Delon’s prolific career and equally prolific love life, via Paris-Match and other magazines.
His colorful personal life regularly made the front pages as he charmed and seduced his way around Europe at the height of his fame.
But he also faced criticism. Some disapproved of his support for Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, who championed the death penalty and opposed same-sex marriage.
His relationship with women also caused controversy and led to claims of misogyny.
More recently, the breakdown of his family had been making headlines in France.
The actor had three children – two sons and a daughter – by two different women, and a third son unacknowledged and now dead.
In recent years, his surviving children have been laying bare their mutual grievances before the media in a series of insults, accusations, lawsuits, and secret recordings.
It included disagreements over his medical treatment, following his stroke in 2019.
Another row involved Hiromi Rollin, Delon’s former housekeeper.
Delon’s children ejected her last year, but she subsequently filed a suit against them for endangering Delon’s life by refusing him medicines.
In April this year, a judge placed Delon under “reinforced curatorship”, meaning he no longer had full freedom to manage his assets.
Delon also made headlines in February of this year when French police seized 72 firearms and 3,000 rounds of ammunition from his home. Prosecutors said he did not have a gun licence.
A shooting range was also found at his Douchy-Montcorbon mansion.
