Alain Delon has always been close to singer Dalida. The two acolytes were next door neighbors for several years. They encouraged each other while waiting to take off their careers. But those who are closely interested in the careers of the two artists probably know one thing that others do not: between Dalida and the hero of the film The adventurers – broadcast this Monday, February 28 on Arte – the relationship has gone beyond the stage of friendship.
Orlando, the brother of the singer who died in 1987, confided in their romance in the pages of TV Star. Himself, however close to his sister, was not aware of the real links that existed between Dalida and Alain Delon. Their couple, he only learned of it when the two lovebirds recorded the title Words, words in 1972, almost ten years after their crush: “They had met in Paris at their beginnings, in the mid-1950s. They occupied maids’ rooms on the same floor. And they met again in Rome around 1963-1964 and there was a story between them. I was unaware of their romance“.
In April 2011, in his book The women in my life (Carpentier editions), Alain Delon lifted the veil on his relationship with Dalida: “She came from the Middle East with, as her only baggage, a title of Miss Egypt 1954. […] Ten years later, she had become Dalida and I, Delon“, specifying in passing that “the rare witnesses of [la] liaison remained discreet for years“. By mutual agreement, Alain Delon and Dalida have put an end to their relationship, in no way spoiling their friendship: “The bond was intact“, said the actor at the time of the release of his book.
Some time before being awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, Alain Delon had addressed the tragic death of Dalida. The singer killed herself at home at the age of 54, by swallowing a large dose of drugs and alcohol. This fatal gesture, Alain Delon has always regretted not having been able to prevent it even if he knew that deep down, he could not have done anything: “Dali, it upsets me, because I loved this woman terribly. I suffered so much when she was made to leave… I would have liked to be there, to prevent her from leaving like that. […] She had made her decision, she didn’t want to go back, she wanted to leave. She left very quickly… and I know why“. A drama following which Alain Delon will remain marked forever.