Alain Delon's family won't euthanize his dog, despite late actor's dying wish to be buried with him

"If I die before him I will ask the vet to let us go together," the French actor said in 2018. "He will inject him so that he dies in my arms."

The family of French star Alain Delon is rejecting the late actor’s wish to have his beloved dog euthanized and buried beside him.

The Purple Noon actor, who died on Sunday at age 88, has been making headlines for his resurfaced 2018 comments revealing his plan to have his dog — now a healthy 10-year-old Belgian malinois called Loubo — put down so they can be buried together.

"He is my end of life dog. A Belgian shepherd who I love like a child," Delon told Paris Match magazine, per French news agency, AFP. "If I die before him I will ask the vet to let us go together. He will inject him so that he dies in my arms. I would rather that than knowing that he would let himself die on my grave with so much suffering."

While there is no law in France that prohibits owners from putting down their pets, the recirculated comments prompted several animal rights organizations to condemn the plan, express concern for Loubo, and offer their assistance in rehoming the dog, if necessary.

The French Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) was among the organizations to speak out, writing on X, “The life of an animal should not be conditioned by that of a human. The SPA is volunteering to take in his dog and find him a family.”

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, founded by the eponymous actress to protect animal rights, announced on Tuesday that it was in contact with the Delon family, who have confirmed that Loubo will not be euthanized. Delon's relatives will take care of the dog, the organization said in an Instagram post, through a translation.

A spokesperson for the foundation additionally told the Guardian, “I’ve just had Anouchka Delon on the phone and she has told me that Loubo is part of the family and will be kept. The dog will not be put down.”

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and a representative for Delon for further comment.

Delon, an acclaimed yet controversial figure in French cinema, is known for roles in such films as Purple Noon, Le Samoura?,  L’Eclisse, Histoires Extraordinaires, La Piscine, Borsalino, Nouvelle Vague, The Yellow Rolls-Royce, Once a Thief, and Texas Across the River. He was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival  in 2019, despite a petition that protested his "racism, homophobia and misogyny” garnering more than 29,000 signatures.

The actor, a self-proclaimed animal lover, reportedly had more than 50 dogs throughout the course of his life, many of which he buried on his home property.

Prior to his death, Delon’s daughter expressed her love for his final canine companion on social media. “Wherever there’s an unfortunate person, God sends a dog,” she captioned a 2023 photo of the puppy. “Thank you, Loubo, for being there for your master.”

The actor is survived by Loubo, his daughter, and sons Anthony and Alain-Fabien.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.