France mourns Belmondo, will pay national tribute on September 9
Fans and stars paid tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo on Tuesday, saying the charismatic French actor, who died on Monday aged 88, would live on forever in people's minds and on screen, Reuters reported.
Belmondo, who shot to international fame as a star of New Wave cinema after his breakthrough performance in Jean-Luc Godard's "A bout de souffle" ("Breathless") in 1959, had, for decades, been one of France's most popular actors.
"He's immortal," fan Bruno Fougeroux said. "It's the magic of cinema, you can keep on watching his movies forever. For me, Jean-Paul Belmondo will always be alive."
President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Monday that the actor, who switched in the 1960s to mainstream films and became one of France's leading comedy and action heroes, was a "national treasure". read more
An official ceremony will be organised on Thursday at the Hotel National des Invalides on Sept 9, the French presidency said.