French actor Alain Delon dead at 88

French media announced on Sunday that internationally acclaimed film actor Alain Delon died at 88. Delon was also an accomplished producer and appeared in plays and television movies later in life.

"With his handsome looks and tender manner, the prolific actor was able to combine toughness with an appealing, vulnerable quality that made him one of France’s memorable leading men," The Associated Press reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Delon "a French monument."

"Alain Delon has played legendary roles and made the world dream," Macron said.

Delon was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma earlier this year and had been the subject of a family dispute over his continued care.

During his prime in the 1960s and 1970s, "Delon was sought out by some of the world’s top directors, from Luchino Visconti to Joseph Losey."

Later in life, Delon became disillusioned with the film industry. "Money, commerce and television have wrecked the dream machine," Delon wrote in Le Nouvel Obs in 2003. "My cinema is dead. And me, too."

Delon continued to work in other media, often appearing in television movies into his 70s.