The late French movie star Alain Delon wanted to bury his dog with him, and for the dog to have the chance to live with him.

PARIS (AP) — Before his death this week, the French were… Cinema icon Alain Delon He once suggested that he wanted his beloved shepherd dog Lupo buried with him. To the relief of animal lovers across France, Lupo will be allowed to live.

The world-famous actor and producer Delon died on Sunday at the age of 88, and will be buried on Saturday at his family home in Duchy, south of Paris.

In a 2018 interview with Paris Match magazine, he said he wanted to bury Lupo, a Belgian Malinois he adopted in 2014, with him. “I’ve had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a special relationship with this one,” he told the magazine. “If I die before him, I’ll ask the vet to let us go together… I’d rather have that than know that he’ll let himself die on my grave amidst all this suffering.”

Following Dillon’s death, animal rights activists and concerned citizens raised concerns about Lupo’s fate. The French Animal Protection Society offered to find a new home for the dog.

Official of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation – a prominent animal rights organization founded by famous french movie star A person close to Dillon said “many, many” members of the foundation had reached out to him to express their concerns.

The official added that Dillon had been a longtime “friend of the foundation” and had helped raise money for its causes.

The Dillon family has not publicly commented on the dog.

Delon was one of France’s most prominent actors and film stars, and was also a producer, appearing in plays and, in later years, television films.