France is preparing its farewell to Alain Delon, an icon of French cinema around the world

On the day after the death of Alain Delon, whose tributes have crossed borders from Italy to Japan, France is preparing its farewell to one of the icons of French cinema in the world.

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His three children, Anthony, Anocha and Alain-Fabian Delon, will officiate the funeral of the legend of the 7th art.

Will a memorial service be arranged or will the funeral be held in strict privacy? Alain Delon wanted to be buried where he died at Ducey (Loiret), near his dogs.

The prefecture gave an agreement in principle and banned aerial flights over Alain Delon’s estate until Wednesday evening.

The town’s mayor, Abel Martin, said Monday that the three children’s “desire” means a ceremony at the church in Douchy is possible. But “it’s a small church and it would be complicated to let people out,” he told AFP.

In recent months of conflict over their father’s medical pursuit, the Delone children have also been at odds with his ex-wife, Hiromi Rollins, who is suspected of abusing the frailty.

Kicked out of Douchy in the summer of 2023, the star’s former ex-partner said he was “destroyed” in Le Figaro. “His kids wouldn’t let me say ‘goodbye’ to him.”

In front of the estate where the legend of 7th art died, anonymous people continued to lay flowers on Monday, although the excitement was somewhat subdued.

“He is my idol,” said Nadine Delawat, who left Roja from a village 4 kilometers away.

“It is his request that he be buried here now, and it would be nice if all his children would respect that and accept that wish.”

“rough”

Almost unanimously acclaimed for his roles in “Cheetah” and “Samurai,” but a personality divided by his retrograde positions, his ego or his arrogance, Delon simultaneously inspired and divided.

“This man was difficult, but despite everything, I had a great affection for him,” director Patrice Leconte, who made it into a film, told RTL on Monday with Jean-Paul Belmonte. Une Chance in Two” (1998).

Nathalie Baye, his co-star in “Our Story” (1984), the film that earned Delon his only César, hailed Franceinfo as “someone very lovable and very secretive.”

With his death, an era ends, a page in the history of French cinema of the 1960s-1980s, all-powerful and internationally envied.

Delon left after most of the people he loved or worked with: Jean Cabin, Lino Ventura, Romy Schneider, Italian directors Luchino Visconti or Michelangelo Antonioni.

After the death in 2021 of the very famous Jean-Paul Belmondo and his friend Delon, the last living legend of this era, Brigitte Bardot, 89 years old, retired from the profession after decades.

Delon “leaves a terrible void that nothing and no one can fill,” he wrote in a message to AFP.

Headlines

As a sign that his light transcended borders, the international press devoted a large space to him.

In the United States, the New York Times, Washington Post and New York Post paid tribute to him.

Another country of his heart, Italy, where he spent part of the beginning of his career, also dedicated headlines to him.

And his influence didn’t stop there. “He was idolized in Japan for his charm and his gestures in his films,” Japanese broadcaster NHK recalled on its site.

In France, all national newspapers devote their front pages to him. Le Figaro and Le Parisien hailed it as “The Last Samurai”, while Liberation headlined it as “Plein slumber”.

Paris Match Weekly will dedicate a special 62-page issue to the actor, who has appeared on “more than 50 covers,” its publishing director Jerome Begley told CNews Channel. It will be available on Paris newsstands from Tuesday.