Paris, 18 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - French film star Alain Delon has died at the age of 88, French news agency AFP reported in a post on X on Sunday that cited his three children.

"Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony along with Loubo (his dog) are deeply affected in announcing the death of their father," they announced in a joint statement.

Delon had died peacefully in his house in Douchy south-east of Paris surrounded by his family, the statement said.

Delon featured in more than 80 feature-length films from the late 1950s onwards until 2008, when he played Julius Caesar in "Asterix at the Olympic Games."

He is best known for playing gangsters and criminals in films such as "Purple Noon," "Le Samouraï," "The Sicilian Clan" and "Borsalino," working with the top European directors of the day, Luchino Vistconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni and Louis Malle.

But he also appeared in the historical "The Leopard" alongside Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale.

A period of more intimate films followed until a return to action drama in "Parole de flic" in 1985, in which he plays a former police officer returning to France to avenge the murder of his daughter.

Delon also gained some renown as a singer. His support for the far right made him a controversial figure in later life.

He had relationships with several women, including Romy Schneider, following their roles as co-stars in "Christine" in 1958. They broke up in 1964 after making several films together.

A string of highly-publicized relationships followed. As late an 2018, Delon described Schneider as the love of his life.

Delon began a relationship with Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen in 1987, fathering two children with her before they separated in 2001, since when he lived largely alone in Douchy.

He received the Honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 for his life's work.

Photo: MIA archive