This Sunday, August 18, 2024, Alain Delon, an icon who placed French cinema at the top with more than 120 films in his career, passed away.
The actor died at the age of 88, at his home in Douchy (France). It was his three children, through a statement, who announced the sad news that has shocked the entire film industry.
“Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony and (their dog) Loubo announce with deep sorrow the passing of their father. He passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family,” they wrote in the statement released by AFP. In addition, his family asks that “his privacy be respected at this time of extremely painful mourning”.
The actor suffered a stroke in 2019 that greatly weakened his state of health. Then, he began a war that few expected with his own children, in which they denounced Hiromi Rollin, Delon‘s partner, for “taking advantage” of his weakness at the time. He had also previously suffered from lymphoma, so his condition was quite fragile at the age of 88.
One of the last times he could be seen at a public event was at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where he received the honorary Palme d’Or for his entire career. At that event, he left a very moving reflection: “Tonight is a bit of a posthumous tribute, but being alive. I know I’m going to leave, but I won’t do it without thanking you. If I am a star, I owe it to the public”.
Delon’s most acclaimed films, as per Rotten Tomatoes, are:
- Purple Noon (1960)
- Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
- L’Eclisse (1962)
- The Leopard (1963)
- Le Samouraï (1967)
- La Piscine (1969)
- Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
- Monsieur Klein (1976)
