French actor and producer Alain Delon has died at 88.
Delon’s three children, Anthony, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien, confirmed his death to the Agence France-Presse.
A beloved heartthrob and leading man for much of the ‘60s and ’70s, Delon co-starred alongside many famous actresses, including Shirley MacLaine, Jane Fonda, Lola Albright and Jane Birkin.
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Although he saw significant success in the French movie market, Delon had trouble making his mark in the United States. He co-starred with Fonda and Albright in the 1964 movie “Les Felins,” or “Joy House,” which was filmed in both French and English.
His first Hollywood film was in 1965 with Swedish actress Ann-Margret in “Once a Thief.”
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At the prime of his career, Delon was sought out by some of the world’s top directors, from Luchino Visconti to Joseph Losey, but he later became disenchanted with the industry, saying money had killed the dream.
“Money, commerce and television have wrecked the dream machine,” he wrote in a 2003 edition of newsweekly Le Nouvel Observateur. “My cinema is dead. And me, too.”
He was the recipient of the Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, an award that is given to the director of the Best Feature Film at the festival. Delon was recognized for his longtime work in the industry.
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French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the star, writing on X in a post translated to English, “Alain Delon has played legendary roles and made the world dream. Lending his unforgettable face to turn our lives upside down. Melancholy, popular, secret, he was more than a star: a French monument.”
Former French singer and actress Brigitte Bardot mourned the loss of her friend, writing to her foundation’s Instagram page, “I lose a friend, an alter ego, an accomplice,” in a post translated to English. “We shared the same values, the same disappointments, the same love of animals.”
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Earlier this year, Delon’s son, Anthony, said his father had been diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer. Delon’s health had been at the heart of an ongoing family dispute over his care, much of which played out in the media.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
