After a distinguished life, it is in private that Alain Delon’s family and loved ones will say goodbye to him this Saturday afternoon in the private chapel of his property in Douchy (Loiret), at the end of a ceremony celebrated by the former bishop Jean-Michel Di Falcó.
The funeral of the sacred monster of French cinema will be held at 4 p.m., his three children, Anthony, Anouchka and Alain-Fabien, told AFP. About fifty guests, carefully selected close friends of the Delon clan, have been invited and are expected from 2 p.m.
Muriel Robin and Paul Belmondo among the guests
Among the guests expected to be present are Rosalie van Breemen, the actor’s ex-wife and mother of Anouchka and Alain-Fabien, actresses Nicole Calfan, Muriel Robin and Géraldine Danon (who is also the actor’s goddaughter), according to sources close to AFP.
Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who starred in the film alongside Delon. The cheetahHowever, she will not be present at the actor’s funeral “due to great pain,” her agent told AFP.
According to several media outlets, Paul Belmondo, son of former rival and friend Jean-Paul Belmondo, is also invited.
Banned phones
Mobile phones must be taken away from all those attending the funeral, for reasons of confidentiality. At the request of the family, the prefecture also banned flying over the property for the entire weekend.
The funeral will take place behind closed doors, away from cameras and lenses, in the chapel located at the heart of the Douchy-Montcorbon estate acquired by Alain Delon in 1971, La Brûlerie.
“I understand that the family wants to be in private, that was their wish,” said Marie-Christine Guibert, who came as a neighbour. “Despite everything, I wanted to pay tribute to him on the day of the funeral, it is symbolic.”
An intimate ceremony
In accordance with the wishes of the deceased, who had defined the conditions of his funeral several years ago, the ceremony will be celebrated in a small group by Jean-Michel Di Falco, 82, former bishop of Gap and long considered a chaplain to celebrities.
Alain Delon will be buried as he wished at home at around 5 p.m., near his dogs, an “exceptional” procedure that required authorization from the prefecture.
Many journalists are already on the scene and on Saturday afternoon several thousand curious people are expected at the gates of the estate to bid farewell to the star. A hundred gendarmes have been mobilised to secure and monitor the surroundings of the building, according to the authorities, who have closed two departmental roads since 10am.
The actor’s children did not accept the option of holding a mass in the town church, according to the city council. The idea of a public mass was also mentioned, but “nothing is planned for the moment,” Anthony Delon told AFP.
Source: BFM TV
