Faten Hamama, one of Egypt’s most revered actresses, has died at age 83. According to The Cairo Post, Hamama passed away on Saturday, January 17. She was hospitalized three weeks ago for a sudden illness and spent her final days at the Dar al-Fouad hospital. She was accompanied by her third husband Abdel-Wahab.

Faten Hamama in 1961 (Credit: Douglas Miller at Getty Images Entertainment)
Faten Hamama in 1961 (Credit: Douglas Miller at Getty Images Entertainment)

At the time, it looked like Hamama was headed for complete recovery. She was released earlier in January. However, her illness returned suddenly on Saturday and Hamama passed away soon after.

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Today, Egypt mourns her seven-decade-long career, over the course of which Hamama starred in over 100 films. She was a staunch advocate for women’s rights and many of her films dealth with social injustice.

Born in 1931, Ms Hamama was known as the "Lady of the Arabic Screen" and was a star of the golden age of Egyptian cinema. Her career was at its peak in the 1950s when she met fellow actor Omar Sharif. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama, whom he described as the “only love of his life,” despite their divorce in 1974,  according to the AFP.

Hamama leaves behind Tariq, her son with Sharif, as well as Nadia, her daughter from her first marriage.