Artists’ reactions poured in on Sunday to pay tribute to the memory of the cinema giant.
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A shower of tributes for a giant of cinema. Many personalities paid tribute to the memory of the French actor Alain Delon, who died on Sunday August 18 at the age of 88. The head of state, Emmanuel Macron, paid tribute to a “French monument” to “legendary roles”.Melancholic, popular, secretive, he was more than a star“, declared the President of the Republic on X, adding that Alain Delon had “makes the world dream”.
Many figures from the world of culture have in turn expressed their emotion and paid vibrant homage to the actor, an icon of the seventh art with works such as The Samurai Or The Swimming Pool. Brigitte Bardot, Claudia Cardinale, Patrick Bruel or Thierry Frémaux… The reactions continue to flow in to salute the actor and his entire career.
Brigitte Bardot salutes “an ambassador of elegance, talent, beauty”
The disappearance of Alain Delon “digs an abysmal void that nothing and no one can fill”said actress Brigitte Bardot in a handwritten message sent to AFP. “Alain’s death brings to an end the magnificent chapter of a bygone era, of which he was a sovereign monument”she wrote. “He represented the best of ‘prestige cinema’ in France. An ambassador of elegance, talent, beauty”added “BB” about his friend. “I’m losing a friend, an alter ego, an accomplice. We shared the same values, the same disappointments, the same love of animals.”
“The sadness is much too intense,” reacts Claudia Cardinale
“The ball is over. Tancredi has gone to dance with the stars…”Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon’s partner in THE Cheetah. “I am asked to put it into words… but the sadness is much too intense”she added. “Per sempre tua (Forever yours), Angelica”concludes the actress, signing with the name of her character in the film.
For Patrick Bruel, “a huge actor is leaving us”
“Thank you Mr. Delon”, The singer and actor Patrick Bruel reacted in turn on the social network X. “A great actor is leaving us. Your words at each of our meetings have been a driving force…“, added the French artist.
An “extremely generous” man, describes Michel Drucker
“Alain was not at all the caricature that has been painted of him: he knew how to be warm, happy, I only have good memories of him”the presenter Michel Drucker confided to the newspaper The Parisian. “The Delon I knew was funny, full of humor and perspective on himself. I will never forget the actor either, immense, I have a great memory of this filming in Geneva of ‘Le Samurai'”he said. The host paid tribute to a comedian “faithful in friendship” And “extremely generous.”
For Thierry Frémaux, “he embodied French cinema well beyond its borders”
“It is with the same sadness felt by film lovers around the world that we learned of the passing of Alain Delondeclared Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the Cannes Festival, to AFP. He embodied French cinema far beyond its borders, he was the image of the triumphant thirty glorious years, he was one of those personalities who spoke to both the general public and specialists, working for commercial cinema as well as for auteur cinema.” he added.
“An unforgettable samurai”, says Gilles Jacob
The former president of the Cannes Festival, Gilles Jacob, also spoke to AFP “a lion in majesty, an actor with a steely gaze, of insolent beauty, an unforgettable samurai combining sobriety, control, a presence both gentle and carnivorous, lucidity, a triumphant career, such beautiful loves”. “A loner in a trench coat and soft felt hat serving Visconti, Melville, Losey, Zurlini… He will have conceived everything with and controlled everything except his end”he added.
“He was my friend from the very beginning,” confides Line Renaud.
“I am so sad to hear of Alain’s passing… He was my friend from the very beginning,” said French singer and actress Line Renaud on X. “I saw a 23-year-old boy of stunning beauty arrive in my living room. He already had everything to become a star: the look, the voice, the physique, the power, the modernity”she greeted.
The Académie des César speaks of an “inimitable talent”
The actor was awarded the César for best actor for Our story, by Bertrand Blier.Alain Delon brought this inimitable talent and irresistible elegance to each of his roles,” greeted the César Academy on X on Sunday. Many of his films, shot under the camera of the greatest, have become classics”she stressed.
“He will have bewitched entire generations,” says Jack Lang.
“The most beautiful face of French cinema has gone to join the stars. With his metallic gaze and his feline smile, he will have bewitched entire generations of spectators”former Minister of Culture Jack Lang wrote to AFP. “The Cheetah will no longer roar, but its Botticellian face, its charming smile and its magnetic eyes will continue to haunt us for a long time to come,” he noted.
“It is you who will be greatly missed,” writes Paul Belmondo
On Instagram, the son of actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, who died in 2021 at the age of 88, posted a photo of his father alongside Alain Delon. With this short message: “Alain, one day you told me that you missed my father, today it is you who will be greatly missed”.