An investigation begins after the death of a French actresswho was among those accusing the movie star, Gerard Depardieu, for sexual harassmentthe Paris prosecutor’s office said on Thursday, December 14, 2023.

Actress Emmanuelle Debever posted in 2019 on Facebook that Depardieu had groped her in 1982, while they were acting together for the film “Danton”.

Emmanuelle Debever’s partner told the police that on November 29 he left their homeleaving a “disturbing” written note, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. She later jumped from a Paris bridge into the Seine River, was given emergency care by paramedics and taken to hospitalthe prosecution said.

He died on December 7 at the age of 60, according to international press reports.

On the same day, a documentary about the allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor, which included footage showing him repeatedly making obscene comments and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.

Depardieu, 74, has been under investigation since December 2020 for rape and sexual assaultreportedly at his home in Paris, following complaints from the actress, Charlotte Arnould, in 2018. He has denied any criminal conduct.

In October, Depardieu published an open letter in the French newspaper “Le Figaro”in which he stated: “I want to tell you the truth. I have never, ever abused a woman.”

The Paris prosecutor’s office said that, given Emmanuelle Debever’s accusations against Depardieu, an inquest into the causes of death has been initiated – a procedure followed in France when the causes of death are unknown or suspected.

The French investigative news website Mediapart published information this year according to which Depardieu has been accused of sexually harassing or assaulting 13 women. The France 2 documentary claims that the number of women who have denounced him now stands at 16.