He was seriously ill

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Alain Delon in Cannes at the film festival(Bild: AFP/CHRISTOPHE SIMON)

The great French actor Alain Delon is dead. As his three children announced in a joint statement on Sunday morning, the legendary film star died "peacefully in his home in Douchy" south of Paris at the age of 88. 

The family asked via the AFP news agency that their privacy be respected "in this extremely painful moment of mourning". The actor was seriously ill after suffering several strokes.

Alain Delon in Cannes at the film festival(Bild: AFP/CHRISTOPHE SIMON)

For months, his three children had been engaged in a fierce dispute over where and how their father should be treated. Most recently, Delon's legal guardianship, which was previously mainly responsible for medical decisions, was extended to include his financial affairs.

Alain Delon was in a relationship with Romy Schneider.(Bild: AP)

An intimate scene from 1959(Bild: AP)

Alain Delon in 1973(Bild: AFP)

Alain Delon rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s with films such as "The Swimming Pool" with Romy Schneider and "Borsalino" with Jean-Paul Belmondo and "The Leopard" by Luchino Visconti. In 2019, he was honored with the Palme d'Or for his lifetime achievement at the Cannes Festival.