In the photo: A woman lays flowers as villagers and fans pay tribute to late French actor Alain Delon, in front of his property in Douchy, France, 19 August 2024
Cinema legend Alain Delon, who has died aged 88, will be buried on Saturday, August 24, a Catholic priest who will officiate the service told AFP.
Jean-Michel Di Falco, a former bishop in the southeastern town of Gap, said the actor had asked him to officiate the funeral service.
He did not specify a place or time for the ceremony, but French news channels CNews and BFMTV reported that it would take place at 5:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. GMT) in Duchy-Montcorbon, a village in central France. where Delon had an estate surrounded by high walls, and where he spent his last years.
Delon has said he does not want a national memorial event, but rather a burial near his dogs at his Duchy property.
However, such a burial on private property requires special permission from the local authorities. It is unclear whether such permission was granted.
France paid tribute to Delon, one of the country's biggest stars who was also overshadowed by controversy.
He was one of the last living legends of the golden age of French cinema in the 1960s.
While he has legions of fans around the world, his personal life and political views divide opinion.
Delon's relationships with women are controversial. His sons accuse him of domestic violence, which Delon denies but admits hitting women during arguments.
Delon has also been criticized for supporting Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founder of the far-right National Assembly, which supports the death penalty and is against same-sex relationships.
Feminists were also shocked by the Lifetime Achievement Award the Cannes Film Festival gave him in 2019.
He lived out his final years largely as a recluse, although his private life kept making headlines.
In 2023, his three children filed a complaint against his live-in assistant, Hiromi Rollin, accusing her of harassment and threatening behaviour.
The siblings continued to wage a public battle in the media and the courts, arguing over his health, which worsened after a stroke in 2019. | BGNES
