Guillaume Depardieu dies at 37 of pneumonia | France

Publish date: 2024-05-05
France This article is more than 15 years old

Guillaume Depardieu dies at 37 of pneumonia

This article is more than 15 years old

Guillaume Depardieu, the actor son of Gérard, who lived a life of angry rebellion in the shadow of his celebrated father, died yesterday at the age of 37.

"He passed away early this afternoon after having contracted a virus which led to a devastating bout of pneumonia," Gerard Depardieu's agents told Agence France Presse last night.

Recognised and loved in France as an actor in his own right, who starred in several big-budget films such as the recently released Versailles, Guillaume's life was nonetheless rarely discussed without the mention of his estranged father.

Many believed their troubled relationship was the cause of Guillaume's difficult youth, marked by drug addiction, male prostitution and high-speed road accidents, one of which eventually led to the amputation of his right leg after the contraction of a hospital superbug. He also served two prison sentences, one for theft and another for heroin dealing.

In 2004 Guillaume released a tell-all book in which he accused his father of having neglected him in his pursuit of money and fame.

"I love him and I detest him for the same reasons," he wrote in Tout Donner (Giving Everything). "For his impotence. For his way of fleeing life, and existence, and fighting against it at the same time."

He also admitted "wasting six years of my life" through narcotic-fuelled rebellion and refused to blame the Jean de Florette star for everything.

"Even before my father became known, I was never easy," he said. "I was always the first person to do something really stupid."

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