Obituaries

Ex-England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson dead at 76

The former manager of the English national squad died after a battle with cancer, his agent said on Monday.

Published on August 26, 2024, at 2:58 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Film legend Alain Delon buried near his dogs in private funeral

The famed actor was laid to rest on Saturday in a funeral attended by his children, relatives and close friends at his estate in Douchy, central France.

Published on August 24, 2024, at 7:10 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

World's oldest person, Spain's Maria Branyas, dies at age 117

Branyas lived through the 1918 flu, World War I and II, Spain's civil war, and the Covid-19 pandemic. She lived for the last two decades in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot, Spain.

Published on August 20, 2024, at 2:00 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Conversation

Alain Delon: 'If I'd stayed a butcher, I'd never have had so much trouble'

Beginning in the summer of 2018, the actor had taken to phoning Le Monde regularly. Haunted by the past, he told his story, over and over again.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Samuel Blumenfeld

Obituary

Michel Guérard, chef who was last living legend of 'nouvelle cuisine,' has died

A three-Michelin-star chef since 1977 at the hotel-restaurant Les Prés d'Eugénie, combining slimming cuisine with gourmandise, Guérard died on Sunday at age 91.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 5:57 pm (Paris) Stéphane Davet

News

Alain Delon's death: Film star hailed across the globe, from Japan to US

Around the world, the press is filled with superlatives about the impact of the late French actor's films.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 11:51 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 11:52 am International desk

News

'French monument': Film world and politicians pay tribute to Alain Delon

The actor's death on Sunday, August 18, at the age of 88 prompted a wave of reactions, from Emmanuel Macron to Brigitte Bardot.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 10:53 am (Paris) Jacques Mandelbaum

Interview

Alain Delon: 'Everything I did in films, I truly lived'

From his turbulent youth to his final aspirations, Alain Delon, who passed away on August 18 at the age of 88, shared his life story with Le Monde in September 2018.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 10:13 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 10:54 am Samuel Blumenfeld

Long Read

Death of Alain Delon: 'Some people buy cars, but I prefer paintings'

Between film shoots, the actor, who has died at age 88, visited museums and expanded his collections, which included paintings, sculptures and drawings.

Published on August 18, 2024, at 4:25 pm (Paris) Harry Bellet

News

Death of Alain Delon: Macron and others pay tribute

The French president said the film icon, who died aged 88, was not just a legendary actor but a 'monument.' Fellow 1960s star Brigitte Bardot said his death leaves 'a huge void.'

Published on August 18, 2024, at 12:57 pm (Paris), updated on August 18, 2024, at 3:27 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

Death of Alain Delon: The muted ambivalence of the man and the actor

Cop and thug, grace and violence, progressive acts and reactionary ideology – throughout his life and career, the actor walked a tightrope.

Published on August 18, 2024, at 11:37 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 8:55 am Jacques Mandelbaum

Obituary

Alain Delon, enduring star of French cinema, has died

The embodiment of the actor par excellence and a personality as much as an artist, Alain Delon lived his art with an unparalled intensity. He died at the age of 88.

Published on August 18, 2024, at 8:16 am (Paris), updated on August 18, 2024, at 11:38 am Thomas Sotinel

Obituary

Louis Mermaz, key figure of French socialism under Mitterrand, has died

Several Socialist officials announced on Thursday, August 15, that the longtime ally of former president François Mitterrand had died at the age of 92.

Published on August 16, 2024, at 1:07 pm (Paris), updated on August 16, 2024, at 1:08 pm Michel Noblecourt

Obituary

Gena Rowlands, interpreter of every nuance of the female experience

On the silver screen, the actress, who died on August 14 at the age of 94, starred in 'A Woman Under the Influence,' 'Gloria' and 'Streams,' by director and actor John Cassavetes, with whom she formed a couple that combined art and love.

Published on August 16, 2024, at 10:00 am (Paris), updated on August 16, 2024, at 10:09 am Murielle Joudet

News

Gena Rowlands, cinematic star of 'A Woman Under the Influence,' 'Gloria,' and 'The Notebook', dies at 94

The actress, who helped bring the films of her husband John Cassavetes to life, died at her home in California.

Published on August 15, 2024, at 3:57 am (Paris), updated on August 15, 2024, at 8:23 am Le Monde with AP

Obituary

Irish writer Edna O'Brien dies at 93

Women's lives in a conservative society and doomed love affairs were at the heart of the author's work, in a style that was both raw and lyrical. She died on July 27, aged 93.

Published on July 29, 2024, at 1:56 am (Paris), updated on July 29, 2024, at 12:51 pm Ariane Singer

News

Blues legend John Mayall dies at 90

The British musician passed on Tuesday, July 23. His 1966 album 'Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton,' is considered one of the best British blues albums of all time.

Published on July 24, 2024, at 5:07 am (Paris), updated on July 24, 2024, at 7:51 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Nguyen Phu Trong, symbol of Vietnamese authoritarianism, dies in Hanoi

The CPV general secretary, the regime's number one, died on Friday at age 80. The party's current president, To Lam, will act as interim leader.

Published on July 20, 2024, at 12:52 pm (Paris) Bruno Philip

News

Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong dies aged 80

The head of Vietnam's governing Communist Party died on Friday 'after a period of illness' that forced him to step back from duties in recent days.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 1:21 pm (Paris), updated on July 19, 2024, at 2:27 pm Le Monde with AP

Obituary

Jacques Boudet, actor in many of Robert Guédiguian's films, has died

The actor used his great height and big voice in a number of supporting film roles, playing patriarchs, tradesmen and dignitaries. He died at his home in Hérault on July 15, aged 89.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 3:09 pm (Paris) Mathieu Macheret

Obituary

Jean-Claude Lenoir, leading figure in helping migrants in Calais, has died

The retired teacher, a tireless campaigner for the rights of asylum seekers, was a prominent figure in the Calais charity community. He died on July 11, aged 72.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 2:41 pm (Paris), updated on July 17, 2024, at 2:41 pm Julia Pascual

News

Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ star, dies at 53

Doherty died on Saturday, according to her publicist. The television star had had breast cancer for years.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 3:51 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AP

News

Shelley Duvall, 'The Shining' actor, dies aged 75

The intrepid movie star whose winsome presence was a mainstay in the films of Robert Altman and who co-starred in Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining,' has died, aged 75.

Published on July 11, 2024, at 8:14 pm (Paris), updated on July 11, 2024, at 8:15 pm Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

Roland Dumas, former French foreign affairs minister and Constitutional Council president, has died

The son of a Resistance member and a long-time close associate of François Mitterrand, this flamboyant and controversial lawyer was forced to leave the limelight in 2000, due to his involvement in a scandal. He died at age 101 on July 3, 2024.

Published on July 3, 2024, at 6:28 pm (Paris), updated on July 3, 2024, at 6:42 pm Bertrand Le Gendre Raphaëlle Bacqué

Obituary

Ismail Kadare, the great Albanian writer, dies aged 88

He was one of the few Albanian authors known and translated worldwide. He died on Monday in Tirana.

Published on July 1, 2024, at 11:44 am (Paris) Florence Noiville

News

Acclaimed Albanian writer Ismail Kadare dies aged 88

He was often tipped to win a Nobel prize for his towering body of work which delved into his country's myths and history to dissect the mechanisms of totalitarianism.

Published on July 1, 2024, at 10:10 am (Paris), updated on July 1, 2024, at 10:12 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Donald Sutherland, 'M.A.S.H.' and 'The Hunger Games' actor, dies aged 88

Donald Sutherland, the prolific film and television actor whose long career stretched from 'The Dirty Dozen' to 'The Hunger Games,' has passed away, as announced by his son, actor Kiefer Sutherland.

Published on June 20, 2024, at 8:03 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

Anouk Aimée, star of 'La Dolce Vita' and 'A Man and a Woman,' has died

In a career spanning more than 70 years, she starred in 74 films and TV series and received prestigious awards. Her daughter announced that she had died on Tuesday, June 18, aged 92.

Published on June 18, 2024, at 3:32 pm (Paris), updated on June 18, 2024, at 6:17 pm Noémie Luciani

News

Anouk Aimée, French cinema icon, dies aged 92

Aimée's filmography includes Claude Lelouch's 'A Man and a Woman' (1966), for which she got an Oscar nomination, and Federico Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita' (1960).

Published on June 18, 2024, at 1:19 pm (Paris), updated on June 18, 2024, at 4:17 pm Le Monde

Obituary

French architect Paul Chemetov has died

A major figure in French architecture and urban planning, the architect died in Paris on June 16, aged 95. He was notably behind the design of France's Ministry of Economy and the renovation of the Grand Gallery of Evolution at the National Museum of Natural History.

Published on June 17, 2024, at 11:14 pm (Paris), updated on June 18, 2024, at 9:08 am Jean-Jacques Larrochelle

Obituary

With Jerry West's death, the NBA loses its 'Logo'

He was a player, a coach and then the manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won five NBA titles in the 1980s. West, who died on June 12, aged 86, and whose silhouette became the symbol of the American league, embodied American basketball for six decades.

Published on June 13, 2024, at 11:19 pm (Paris), updated on June 14, 2024, at 8:25 am Clément Martel

Video

Françoise Hardy: Looking back on her greatest musical hits

The French singer of 'Comment te dire adieu' and 'Message personnel' died at age 80 on June 11, after battling cancer for years.

Published on June 12, 2024, at 11:56 am (Paris) Le Monde's video desk 02:04

Obituary

Pop culture icon Françoise Hardy has died

The singer died on June 11, at the age of 80. The star of the yéyé years leaves a legacy of masterpieces for French chanson.

Published on June 12, 2024, at 5:54 am (Paris), updated on June 12, 2024, at 10:17 am Véronique Mortaigne

News

Christophe Deloire, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, has died

The face of the press freedom NGO passed away on Saturday at the age of 53 'as a result of fast-spreading cancer,' the organization announced.

Published on June 8, 2024, at 7:51 pm (Paris), updated on June 8, 2024, at 8:33 pm Brice Laemle

News

Former Apollo 8 astronaut who took iconic Earthrise photo has died in a small plane crash

The Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 was the first human spaceflight to leave low-Earth orbit and travel to the moon and back. William Anders died on June 7. He was 90.

Published on June 8, 2024, at 2:32 am (Paris), updated on June 8, 2024, at 5:07 am Le Monde with AP

News

French artist Ben dies by suicide after wife's death

The artist, best known for his painted slogans, has died aged 88. He was associated with the Fluxus movement of the 1960s that sought to disrupt what counted as art, with a style of street-based, provocative irony that proved highly influential.

Published on June 6, 2024, at 1:46 am (Paris), updated on June 6, 2024, at 9:34 am Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

Geneviève de Galard, the 'Angel of Dien Bien Phu,' dies at 99

The staunch Catholic was an air transport nurse in the hell of the First Indochina War. Celebrated at the end of the conflict for her courage and self-sacrifice, then gradually forgotten, Geneviève de Galard died on Thursday, May 30.

Published on May 31, 2024, at 2:20 pm (Paris), updated on May 31, 2024, at 2:31 pm Benoît Hopquin

News

'Mary Poppins' and 'It's a Small World' composer Richard Sherman dies at 95

Sherman, together with his late brother Robert, won two Academy Awards for Walt Disney's 1964 smash 'Mary Poppins.'

Published on May 26, 2024, at 12:53 am (Paris) Le Monde with AP

Obituary

Ebrahim Raisi, a docile Iranian president, loyal to the supreme leader

The 63-year-old ultraconservative cleric died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. He was elected president of the Islamic Republic in 2021 after a failed bid in 2017, and enjoyed a lightning rise marked by the implementation of the regime's repressive policies.

Published on May 20, 2024, at 6:53 pm (Paris), updated on May 21, 2024, at 9:26 am Ghazal Golshiri

Obituary

Jean-Claude Gaudin, longtime mayor of Marseille, has died

The politician, who died on May 20 at the age of 84, was elected to lead the city of Marseille without interruption from 1995 to 2020.

Published on May 20, 2024, at 12:55 pm (Paris), updated on May 20, 2024, at 1:00 pm Gilles Rof

Obituary

Renaud Van Ruymbeke, French magistrate who investigated major political and corruption cases, has died

Over a career spanning decades, Van Ruymbeke became an icon of the fight against corruption.

Published on May 11, 2024, at 2:01 pm (Paris), updated on May 12, 2024, at 2:40 pm Fabrice Lhomme

News

Cartoonist and Bataclan attack survivor Fred Dewilde dies by suicide

Nine years after the November 13, 2015, attacks, the author of several graphic novels depicting his trauma died by suicide.

Published on May 9, 2024, at 10:37 pm (Paris), updated on May 10, 2024, at 8:00 am Soren Seelow

News

Steve Albini, musician and producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ Harvey, is dead at 61

The alternative rock pioneer behind many of the genre's classics died of a heart attack Tuesday night.

Published on May 9, 2024, at 1:11 am (Paris), updated on May 9, 2024, at 7:16 am Le Monde with AP

News

'Lord of the Rings' actor Bernard Hill dies aged 79

Known for roles in 'Titanic' and 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the actor's death on Sunday was confirmed by his agent.

Published on May 5, 2024, at 5:28 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Frank Stella, leading American artist, dies at 87

Frank Stella, an American painter who became a dominant figure in postwar American art, notably with early minimalist works, died on Saturday, May 4.

Published on May 5, 2024, at 2:30 am (Paris), updated on May 5, 2024, at 2:32 am Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

The great American writer Paul Auster, author of 'Moon Palace' and 'Leviathan,' has died

The poet, critic, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and writer became famous for his New York tales filled with marginal, disoriented characters. A master in the art of storytelling, he passed away at his Brooklyn home on Tuesday evening.

Published on May 1, 2024, at 1:09 pm (Paris), updated on May 1, 2024, at 1:10 pm Denis Cosnard

News

Paul Auster, US author of 'The New York Trilogy,' dies aged 77

The prolific novelist and screenwriter, who gained cult status in the 80s and 90s, wrote more than 30 books that have been translated into more than 40 languages.

Published on May 1, 2024, at 7:52 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

Laurent Cantet, humanist filmmaker who subtly wove social issues and romantic stakes

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2008 with 'The Class,' the director also distinguished himself by turning the corporate world into a cinematic stage with 'Human Resources' in 2000. He died on Thursday, April 25, at the age of 63.

Published on April 26, 2024, at 5:22 pm (Paris) Jacques Mandelbaum

News

French priest accused of sexually assaulting Inuit children dies

Joannes Rivoire was sought by Canada for sexually abusing Inuit children more than 30 years ago but avoided extradition and prosecution. He died in a nursing home France at age 93, after a long illness.

Published on April 13, 2024, at 10:35 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

The death of OJ Simpson, a fallen icon and controversial figure in American society

Accused of murdering his ex-wife, the former American football star was the main protagonist in a 1995 trial that became a trial of the racism of the Los Angeles police and the biases of American society.

Published on April 12, 2024, at 10:42 pm (Paris), updated on April 13, 2024, at 3:48 pm Corine Lesnes

News

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli dies at 83

The Italian-born designer became renowned in the early 1970s for his animal prints and bold designs that remained his trademark throughout his long career.

Published on April 12, 2024, at 8:56 pm (Paris), updated on April 13, 2024, at 11:36 am Le Monde with AFP

Obituary

Trina Robbins, comic book author and feminist historian, has died at 85

In addition to writing for 'Wonder Woman,' the comic artist was relentless in her efforts to highlight the frequently minimized role of women in comic book history.

Published on April 11, 2024, at 10:57 pm (Paris), updated on April 12, 2024, at 7:27 am Pierre Trouvé Pauline Croquet

News

OJ Simpson, ex-NFL star aquitted in the 'trial of the century', dies aged 76

According to a statement by his family, the former football player, who was aquitted of his wife and her friend's murder in 1995, died of cancer.

Published on April 11, 2024, at 4:54 pm (Paris), updated on April 11, 2024, at 5:55 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

Obituary

Physicist Peter Higgs, father of the boson, has died

In 2013, the British scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for having predicted as early as 1964 the existence of a particle finally discovered in 2012 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Published on April 10, 2024, at 5:38 am (Paris), updated on April 10, 2024, at 1:35 pm Hervé Morin

News

Peter Higgs, Nobel-winning physicist who proposed existence of 'God particle', dies at 94

The University of Edinburgh said he died on Monday "peacefully at home following a short illness." The physicist won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work that helped explain how matter formed after the Big Bang.

Published on April 9, 2024, at 7:07 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AP

Obituary

Alexis Gruss, the patriarch of French circus, has died

From his first show in 1974, to 2024, when his company won its highest award at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, Gruss left his mark on equestrian circus. He died on Saturday, April 6, aged 79.

Published on April 7, 2024, at 1:26 pm (Paris) Rosita Boisseau

Obituary

Maryse Condé, prolific Guadeloupean writer, dies aged 90

The Caribbean 'giant of literature,' who examined the Black diaspora throughout her vast writing career, died at the age of 90 on Monday.

Published on April 2, 2024, at 11:59 am (Paris), updated on April 2, 2024, at 12:31 pm Gladys Marivat

News

Louis Gossett Jr., first Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87

Gossett got his breakthrough on the show 'Roots,' for which he won an Emmy, and later for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for 'An Officer and a Gentleman.'

Published on March 29, 2024, at 2:46 pm (Paris), updated on March 29, 2024, at 3:26 pm Le Monde with AP

Obituary

Claude Alphandéry, Resistance hero and socially-engaged economist, has died

The Communist activist turned senior civil servant, then president of France's leading bank specializing in public housing, had an exceptional career. The founder of the France Active solidarity finance network died on March 26, aged 101.

Published on March 27, 2024, at 9:40 am (Paris) Jérôme Porier

News

Richard Serra, the 'poet of iron,' has died at 85

The American artist was renowned for his towering, curving sculptures made of rusting steel. He died of pneumonia at his home in Long Island, according to his lawyer.

Published on March 27, 2024, at 3:04 am (Paris), updated on March 27, 2024, at 8:15 am Le Monde with AP and AFP

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