Fans of film legend Alain Delon gathered at the entrance to his country estate on Saturday before his funeral. The funeral was attended only by his children and a few dozen other family members and friends.

Thousands of fans were expected to pay their last respects at the gates of his estate, La Brulerie, south of Paris, where he will be buried next to his beloved dogs.

The 88-year-old star of classics such as “The Ice Cold Samurai,” “The Leopard” and “Noon,” who was called “Europe’s James Dean,” died on Sunday.

French police set up roadblocks near the mansion in the village of Douchy and closed the airspace above it throughout the weekend.

The approximately 50 mourners who are granted access to the property’s private chapel must leave their mobile phones at the door.

Throughout the week, hundreds of fans gathered outside the gates of La Brulerie to leave flowers and cards, with a crowd gathering hours before the ceremony.

Delon’s three children, who were present at his death, told AFP they were “extremely touched by the enthusiasm and affection shown by his fans in France and around the world”.

Rosalie van Breemen, Delon’s ex-wife and mother of his children Anouchka and Alain-Fabien, will be in attendance, as will actors Nicole Calfan, Muriel Robin and Geraldine Danon, sources familiar with the matter told AFP.

The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (14:00 GMT).

Since his death, France has paid tribute to Delon, one of the country’s biggest but also most controversial stars.

He was one of the last living legends of a golden era of French cinema in the 1960s.

Although Delon had countless fans around the world, his relationship with women caused controversy. His sons accused him of domestic violence, which Delon denied, while admitting to hitting women during arguments.

The actor was also criticized for his support of Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founder of the far-right Front National, and his opposition to same-sex relationships.

Feminists were appalled by the lifetime achievement award he received at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Delon spent his last years largely in seclusion, but his private life repeatedly made headlines.

In 2023, his three children filed a complaint against his live-in assistant Hiromi Rollin, accusing her of harassment and threatening behavior.

The siblings then engaged in a public dispute in the media and in court, arguing over his health, which had deteriorated following a stroke in 2019.

Even in death, he made headlines after it was revealed that he had asked for his favorite dog to be euthanized and buried with him.

But his longtime friend and 1960s screen icon Brigitte Bardot said the Belgian shepherd dog Loubo, who spent his final years with him, would be spared.

“Alain Delon’s family has confirmed to us that they will take care of him. Loubo will of course not be put down,” their foundation said on the social media platform X.

“I have absolutely no fear of death,” the actor stressed in 2011 as he posed for photos in front of the grave where he wanted to be buried.

Despite his reputation as an incorrigible womanizer both on screen and in his private life, Delon, a Catholic, said his “mad passion” was for the Virgin Mary.

“She is the woman I love most in the world,” he said, “the one I talk to the most.”

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