Alain Delon's Family Refused to Carry Out His Last Wish and Bury His Dog with Him
The family of Alain Delon refused to bury his dog Lubo with the actor, as Delon himself wanted during his lifetime.
The Guardian writes about it.
Delon had been living with the dog since 2014 and insisted that the animal be put to sleep and buried with him so that it would not miss its owner.
At first, Delon's last will and testament was to be carried out, but was changed after animal rights activists were outraged.
Delon died on 18 August at the age of 88. He said that he wanted his 10-year-old Belgian shepherd dog named Lubo to be buried with him - before that, the dog had to be put to sleep. Delon also wanted to be buried near his estate in Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret, France.
On 20 August, the actor's family announced that Lubo the dog would live. This was preceded by the outrage of environmental activists who offered to find a new home for the dog. The French Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) expressed concern over the cruelty of Delon's last wish for his dog, Lubo. They stressed that ‘the life of an animal should not depend on the life of a human being’ and ‘the SPA will gladly take the dog and find a family for it’.
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation reported that Anouchka Delon, the actor's daughter, decided to keep the dog in the family. ‘I just spoke to Anouchka Delon, and she told me that Lubo is and will remain part of the family. The dog will not be buried,’ said the foundation's representative.
By the way, there is no law in France prohibiting owners from putting their animals to sleep. So it's up to the vets to make the decision.
Delon had a chapel at a cemetery in the woods in Douchy-Montcorbon. The remains of more than 35 of the actor's dogs are buried there. Delon had about 50 dogs, but he valued his relationship with Lubo the most. He said that he loved the dog like a child and that the dog missed the actor when he was away.
He used to say this about Lubo: ‘If I die before him, I'll ask the vet to take us away together. He will put him to sleep in my arms. I'd rather do that than know that he would allow himself to die on my grave in such suffering,’ the actor told Paris Match in 2018.
The French edition of Le Monde writes that Alain Delon will be buried on 24 August in Douchy-Montcorbon, Loire department. French Catholic priest Jean-Michel Di Falco will conduct the burial ceremony, as the actor asked him to do during his lifetime.
As The Gaze previously reported, on 18 August, the legend of French cinema, world-famous actor Alain Delon passed away at the age of 88.