Alain Delon, a French film great, died at the age of 88. The actor was a star of the golden age of French cinema, famed for his tough-guy character in films like The Samurai and Borsalino. Delon has been in poor health for several years and has become a total recluse. More lately, the breakup of his family has made news in France. Brigitte Bardot led tributes in France, saying Delon’s death left a “huge void that nothing and no-one will be able to fill”.
Delon, once dubbed “the most beautiful man in the movies,” featured in 1960s hits such as The Leopard and Rocco and His Brothers. Whether he was playing a killer or a seductive conman, he captivated audiences. His cinematic performances became increasingly infrequent beginning in the 1990s, although he remained a staple in celebrity columns.
Throughout his career, he produced around 90 films. French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Delon on Sunday, stating that the actor “played legendary roles and made the world dream”. In a statement on X, before Twitter, he added: “Melancholy, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: he was a French monument.”The family of Alain Fabien, including his children Anouchka, Anthony, and dog Loubo, released a statement expressing their tremendous sadness over his demise.
He went away peacefully at home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and family.” Delon was referred to as “a legend of cinema” by Le Parisian, while Liberation defined him as “a leading figure of cinema, symbol of shadowy masculinity, the actor with crazy charisma”. Brigitte Bardot told AFP that Delon “represented the best of France’s ‘prestige cinema'”.
“An ambassador for elegance, talent, and beauty.” “I lose a friend, an alter ego, and a partner.” Delon’s final significant public appearance was to accept an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019. At the ceremony, he delivered an emotional statement in which he appeared to say goodbye to movies.
“It’s a bit of a posthumous tribute, but from my lifetime,” he’d replied. “I am going to leave, but I won’t leave without thanking you.”
Gilles Jacob, former president of the Cannes Film Festival, characterized Delon as “a lion… an actor with a steely gaze,” while Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, called him a “icon” who had gone “to the Olympus of the immortals.”In response to the news of his death, one of his Paris followers told Reuters: “I thought he could never die.”
For decades, the French public has followed the ups and downs of Delon’s busy profession and equally prolific love life through Paris-Match and other publications.
His colorful personal life frequently hit the front pages as he charmed and seduced his way through Europe at the height of his celebrity. But he also received criticism. Some criticized his support for Jean-Marie Le Pen, the head of the far-right National Front, who advocated for the death penalty and opposed same-sex marriage.
His relationships with women sparked controversy and accusations of misogyny. More lately, the breakup of his family has made news in France. The actor had three children with two separate women: two sons and a daughter, as well as an unacknowledged third son who is now deceased. In recent years, his surviving children have publicly expressed their mutual grievances in a sequence of insults, allegations, litigation, and hidden recordings.
It included arguments about his medical treatment after his stroke in 2019. Another argument involves Delon’s former housekeeper, Hiromi Rollin. Delon’s children ejected her last year, but she later sued them for threatening Delon’s life by refusing to give him medications.