Family "very touched"

Fans pay their last respects to film star Alain Delon

Before the French film star's funeral, Alain Delon's son Anthony Delon inspected the numerous flowers and messages of condolence left outside the estate in Douchy.

(Bild: APA/AFP/GUILLAUME SOUVANT)

Numerous fans of the late French actor Alain Delon gathered in front of the driveway of his private estate south of Paris on Saturday before his funeral. Six days after his death, the film icon was laid to rest at his country estate.

Police set up roadblocks near the La Brûlerie estate in the village of Douchy, where Delon was laid to rest in a private crypt near his beloved dogs on Saturday afternoon. The airspace over the actor's estate also remained closed throughout the weekend.

Thousands of Delon fans were expected to pay their last respects to the deceased outside the estate.

Children "very touched" by sympathy
Six days ago, the film legend died in the presence of his three children Anthony, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien at the age of 88. Since then, Delon's fans have been meeting at the perimeter of his country estate, leaving flowers and mourning cards. They were "very touched by the passion and affection shown by his fans in France and around the world," Delon's children said.

Delon's sons gave each other strength before their father's funeral.

(Bild: APA/AFP/GUILLAUME SOUVANT)

The funeral service itself took place in a small circle: Around 50 people were invited to the private chapel of La Brûlerie - and must leave their cell phones outside. Delon's ex-wife Rosalie von Breemen, mother of two of his children, was present, as were several actresses such as Nicole Calfan, Géraldine Danon and Muriel Robin.

Actress Claudia Cardinale, however, did not attend the funeral "due to excessive grief", as her agent explained.

Lived in seclusion
Delon had become famous in the 60s and 70s through films such as "The Swimming Pool" with Romy Schneider, "Borsalino" with Jean-Paul Belmondo, "The Icy Angel" by Jean-Pierre Melvilles and "The Leopard" by Luchino Visconti.

Anthony Delon spoke to fans and the press before his father's funeral.

(Bild: APA/AFP/GUILLAUME SOUVANT)

The actor was seriously ill after suffering several strokes and had been living in seclusion on his estate near Paris since 2019. He had only rarely appeared in the movies since the end of the 1990s and continued to make headlines with his private life. Delon made his last major appearance in 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival, where he was awarded the Palme d'Or for his lifetime achievement.