After news of Alain Delon's death sparked an avalanche of tributes worldwide, from Italy to Japan, France is preparing to say goodbye to one of the world's icons of French cinema.
Anthony, Anushka and Alain-Fabien Delon, and his three children, will have to organize the funeral of the legend of the silver screen.
Will there be a memorial service or will the funeral be held in strict privacy? Alain Delon wanted to be buried at home, near his dogs, on his estate in Duchy (Loire), where he died.
The prefecture agreed in principle and banned air flights over Alain Delon's estate until Wednesday evening.
A ceremony at the Duchy church is possible if that is the "wish" of the three children, the town's mayor, Abel Marten, said on Monday. But "it's a small church and it would be difficult to let people out," he told AFP.
At odds in recent months over their father's medical treatment, Delon's children have also been at odds with his former companion, Hiromi Rollins, who is suspected of taking advantage of his weakness.
Kicked off Souls in the summer of 2023, the woman, who claims to be the star's former partner, told Figaro she was "devastated". "His kids wouldn't even let me say goodbye"
In front of the mansion where the legend of the seventh art lived, anonymous people continued to offer flowers on Monday, although the excitement had died down a bit.
"He was my idol," said Nadine Delavo, who walked 4 kilometres to leave a rose.
"It was his request that he be buried here and it would be nice if it was honoured and all his children accepted that wish."
The actor in "Cheetah" and "Samurai", who won almost unanimous acclaim, was also a divisive figure for his reactionary stance, ego and machismo, Delon both charmed and divided.
"This guy was rough, to say the least, but I had a lot of affection for him anyway, and I'm quite sincere," says director Patrice Leconte, who directed the film Trembling Fathers (1998) starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon. .
Natalie Bay, who co-starred him in Our Story (1984), a film that brought Delon his only César, described him as "very charming and very secretive".
With his death, an era ends and a page is turned in the history of French cinema from the 60s to the 80s.
Delon left behind most of those he loved or worked with, including Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Romy Schneider and Italian directors Luchino Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni.
After the death of his friend, the wildly popular Jean-Paul Belmondo, in 2021, and that of Delon, the last living legend of that era remains 89-year-old Brigitte Bardot, who has been retired from acting for decades.
Delon leaves "a bottomless void that nothing and no one will be able to fill," she wrote in a statement to AFP.
As a sign that his aura extends far beyond national borders, the international press gives him significant space.
In the United States, the New York Times, Washington Post, and New York Post devoted obituaries to him.
His other favourite country, Italy, where he spent part of his early career, also made headlines for him.
His influence does not stop there. "In Japan, he was idolized for his charm and gestures in the movies," Japan's NHK recalled on its website.
In France, all national dailies dedicate their front pages to him. Le Figaro and Le Parisien hailed "the last samurai."
Weekly Paris Match will dedicate a special 67-page issue to the actor, who has appeared on "more than 50 covers" of the magazine, editor-in-chief Jerome Beglet told CNews. The issue will be available on newsstands in Paris from Tuesday, and across France on Wednesday. | BGNES
