Pierre Deny, 'Emily in Paris' actor, dies at 69 after ALS battle

French actor Pierre Deny, who appeared on the Netflix series "Emily in Paris," has died, according to reports. He was 69.

Deny, who played Louis de Léon on the romantic comedy series starring Lily Collins, died on Monday, May 25, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS), the actor's daughters told French news agency AFP, according to TF1 and Le Parisien.

"It is with deep emotion that we announce the death of Pierre Deny on Monday following a rapid ALS," Deny's children said in a statement translated from French, per the outlets.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Netflix for comment.

Stars who have battled ALS: Eric Dane, Stephen Hawking, Roberta Flack

ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare degenerative condition that can impact the brain and spinal cord. Other stars who've battled ALS include "Grey's Anatomy" actor Eric Dane, "SpongeBob SquarePants" creator Stephen Hillenburg, R&B icon Roberta Flack and world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease progressively degrades and then kills nerve cells in the affected area(s). Over time, the muscle weakening will continue to spread throughout the body, eventually causing difficulties with breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking.

Early symptoms can include tripping, slurred or "thick" speech, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, decreased muscle tone, shortness of breath, increased or decreased reflexes and uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying, per the ALS Society of Canada.

On "Emily in Paris," Deny's character Louis de Léon was the CEO of JVMA, a European conglomerate specializing in luxury goods. He was also father of Mindy's love interest and former boarding school classmate Nicolas de Léon (Paul Forman).

A theater veteran, Deny appeared in over 100 films and television series throughout his career, including "Une Femme d'Honneur" ("A Woman of Honor"), "Tomorrow is Ours," "The Third Wave," "Times Have Been Better" and most recently, "Camping Paradise."

Deny performed in a trio of episodes on "Emily in Paris," which follows the globe-trotting adventures of aspiring marketing executive Emily Cooper. His last appearance was on the second episode of Season 4 in 2024, according to IMDb.

Netflix announced in January that the Darren Star-created show was greenlit for its sixth − and final − season. The show's production, which is still underway, will visit Greece and Monaco before returning to Paris for its farewell, the streamer shared in a May 21 press release.

"Making 'Emily in Paris' with this extraordinary cast and crew has been the trip of a lifetime," Star said in a statement. "We can't wait to share this last chapter with you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives, inspiring your dreams of travel and your love of Paris. We will always have 'Emily in Paris!'"

Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY