Alain Delon passes away at 88

Alain Delon has passed away, as announced by his children, according to Libération, at the age of 88.

In the family’s press release, it states: “Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, and [his dog] Loubo, with deep sadness, announce the death of their father. He passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and family. The family asks for privacy during this extremely painful time of mourning.”

The Most Recent Photo of Him on Social Media

For Christmas 2023, Alain Fabien Delon posted family photos from his profile, showing how his famous father looked at the time. The 30-year-old son of the great film star posed at the Christmas dinner with Alain Delon, his brother Anthony Delon, and his two nieces, Anthony Delon’s daughters, 28-year-old Lou and 23-year-old Liv.

The Iconic Leading Man of Cinema

Delon leaves behind a legacy of cinematic works such as L’Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), Le Samouraï (1967), and La Piscine (1969), for which he received significant accolades. He was also one of the most iconic leading men in global cinema.

He was born on November 8, 1935, in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He had a difficult childhood. After his parents divorced, he lived with a foster family, but after the death of his foster parents, Delon’s father and mother took joint custody of him, which did not turn out well.

After a tumultuous school career with frequent expulsions due to unruly behavior, Delon dropped out and at 14 took his first job at his stepfather’s butcher shop. At 17, he joined the French Navy and served as a marine during the First Indochina War from 1953-1954. He served briefly in the navy before being discharged, after which he pursued an acting career, impressing from the very beginning with his appearance.

The Role that Launched His Career

In cinema, his big break came with the film Plein Soleil (Purple Noon), an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. In this movie, Delon played the cunning and ruthless Tom Ripley—a role that established him as a star on the big screen.

Throughout his career, Delon worked with many well-known directors, including Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Louis Malle. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for his performance in Notre Histoire (1984). In 1991, he received the French Legion of Honor.

At the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, he was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear. Additionally, in 2019, at the Cannes Film Festival, he received an honorary Palme d’Or for his lifetime contribution to cinema. In 1997, he announced his retirement from acting at the age of 62.

Run-ins with the Law and the Arsenal

In recent months, Delon’s family faced a “scandal,” as many French newspapers described it, when the police raided the actor’s estate. Specifically, in February, the newspaper Le Parisien revealed that the police conducted a raid on Alain Delon’s estate in Douchy, in central-northern France.

The gendarmes discovered 72 weapons and 3,000 rounds of ammunition, essentially an entire arsenal. According to the original report by Le Parisien, Delon legally owned these, having secured all the necessary permits, and within his estate, there is a shooting range for practice, naturally under absolutely safe conditions.

When His Housekeeper Was Accused of Psychological Harassment

Both Anthony and Alain-Fabien have extensively published memories from their childhoods, including unpleasant and painful incidents of domestic violence. Nonetheless, in their own ways, both children show they care for the pater familias. In July 2023, they took legal action against their father’s housekeeper, Hiromi Rollin, accusing her of “psychological harassment, concealing correspondence, and animal abuse.” Rollin, for her part, emphasized that she had been by Delon’s side in recent years, asserting that their relationship was full and healthy and that no one cared for him as she did.

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