Private Ceremony, Roadblocks and Closed Skies: French Cinema Legend Alain Delon Buried at His Estate Next to His Dogs

The legendary French actor Alain Delon, who died on 18 August, was buried by his family near his estate in Douches-Montcorbon, next to the dogs he lived with, Le Monde reports.

The burial ceremony took place on 24 August. The private, closed ceremony was attended only by the actor's children, relatives and friends. Only 50 people were allowed to enter the chapel, and their mobile phones were taken away at the entrance to preserve their privacy. The French police set up checkpoints near Delon's estate, and the airspace over the village was closed on 24-25 July. The actor's fans were not allowed to attend the funeral, and gathered at the gates of the estate.

The funeral was conducted by Catholic priest Jean-Michel Di Falcon.

The Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who played alongside Delon in the film Leopard, was ‘too sad’ to attend, her agent told AFP. And Dutch journalist Rosalie van Brimen, Delon's ex-wife and mother of his children Anoushka and Alain-Fabien, attended the farewell ceremony, sources close to the process told AFP.

Alain Delon asked that his Belgian shepherd dog Lubo be buried with him, and ‘the dog did not grieve’. To do this, the animal was to be put to sleep. However, after the outrage of animal rights activists, the actor's family refused to put Lubo to sleep and decided to keep him.

For a week after the actor's death, flowers and cards were brought to his estate. Three of Delon's children, who were with him when he died, told AFP that they were ‘extremely touched by the fervour and affection shown by his fans in France and around the world’.