French actor Alain Delon (aged 87) has decided to put an end to his life with euthanasia in Switzerland.
Alain Delon's son Anthony said in an interview with the French RTL broadcasting network that he had been asked by his father to help with euthanasia and that he agreed to be by his father's side at the last moments of his life, according to a statement by the French media outlet Le Point on Saturday.
Delon's decision may derive from his experience of struggling with the death of his former wife and mother of Anthony, Nathalie Delon. She had been his colleague and wife from 1964 to 1969 and passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2021. She also wished to be euthanized, but her wishes could not be granted due to laws in France. "My mother, who was a free spirit, wished to die in the same way she lived her life," said Anthony.
Delon had been in favor of euthanasia for a long time. "Euthanasia is the most logical and natural thing. From a certain age and time point, we have rights to depart quietly from this world without the support from a hospital or life-supporting devices," said Delon in a media interview last year.
Delon's euthanasia is expected to take place in Switzerland. He had acquired Swiss citizenship in 1999 and continues to stay in Switzerland since he was operated on for stroke in 2019. He is known to have discussed with his lawyers on inheritance. "Aging is horrible," Delon commented at the operation.
In 2018, Alain Delon also expressed his desire and readiness to "leave this world", hinting at reasons such as hating some people and expressing thoughts about everything being "false and only money counts. I will leave this world without regret", he told Paris Match back then.
The actor expressed his hatred at ageing before being hospitalized in 2019, concluding that "We can't do anything about it, it is what we call age. You lose your face, your sight. You get up and, damn it, your ankle hurts. You bump into yourself".
For Delon, euthanasia is "the most logical and natural thing", and a person should have "the right to get the hell out of it quietly, without going through hospitals, injections, or things".
The French actor revealed that to avoid any mess, he had agreed about the process with his lawyers long ago.
Euthanasia was legalized in Switzerland decades ago, and according to the BBC, about 1,300 people died in the country by adopting this method.
The actor launched his career in the 1950s and starred in over a hundred films, including Our Story, In the Bright Sun, Asterix at the Olympics, and many others. He also won several accolades, including the 1985 César Award for Best Actor for his performance in Notre Histoire. In the year 1991, he received France's Legion of Honour. At the 45th Berlin International Film Festival, he won the Honorary Golden Bear. Furthermore, at the Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded with the Honorary Palme d'Or.
