The Leopard

In a statement to AFP, the family confirmed that Delon "passed away peacefully at his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and loved ones," requesting privacy during this time.

In recent years, Delon had struggled with health issues and had largely withdrawn from public life.

Actress Claudia Cardinale may have been a sixties legend of Italian and French cinema, but in Tunisia, in the portside district where she grew up, she says she feels "at home."

"I left very young, but I spent my whole childhood here, my adolescence," said Cardinale, now 84. "My origins are here."

France celebrates the 80th birthday of its greatest actor, the sexiest man of the 20th century, Alain Delon this weekendTo some he was the sexiest man of the 20th century, to others he is an egotistical cad. But as the actor Alain Delon turns 80 on Nov. 15, France still can't make up its mind about its greatest screen seducer.