French film legend Alain Delon has died 'very early in the middle of the night',aged 88,surrounded by his family and children.
The actor had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in 2019,rarely leaving his estate in Douchy,in France's Val de Loire region.
Delon's legend was launched in 1960,playing pretty boy killers and mysterious schemers in 'Purple Noon' - later remade as 'The Talented Mr Ripley' - and Luchino Visconti's 'The Leopard'.
A rarity on the screen since the 1990s,Delon made headlines in 2023 when his three children filed a complaint against his live-in assistant Hiromi Rollin,accusing her of harassment and threatening behaviour.
His three children went on to wage a public battle in the media and the courts,arguing over the star's state of health.
In May 2019,he made his last major public appearance on the red carpet to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
French actor Alain Delon (R) and his son Anthony Delon (L) arrive for the funeral ceremony for late French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo at the Saint-Germain-des-Pres church in Paris on September 10,2021
As he became weaker,his three children engaged in open warfare over his estate.
The three - Anthony,Anouchka and Alain-Fabien - first filed a complaint accusing his Japanese companion and former carer,Hiromi Rollin,of trying to take advantage of their father.
When that case was thrown out they turned on each other in January 2024,with Anthony accusing Anouchka,the favourite child,of preying on their 'weakened' father.
Delon said through a lawyer he would report his son to the police.
In April 2024 a judge placed Delon under 'reinforced curatorship',meaning he no longer had full freedom to manage his assets. He was already under legal protection over concerns over his health and well-being.
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