Egyptians bid an emotional farewell to their beloved actress Faten Hamama, a star of Arabic cinema and ex-wife of Omar Sharif, who was buried on Sunday at her family cemetery in Cairo.
Hamama, who made her screen debut at seven years old, died on Saturday aged 83, after a career spanning seven decades and almost 100 films alongside masters of Egypt’s film industry, including Youssef Chahine.
The death of this Arab icon spawned a series of reactions by famous people who took to twitter to bid her farewell.
With the passing away of Faten hamama ,a legend of Egyptian and Arabic movie departs .
— Walid Joumblatt (@walidjoumblatt) January 17, 2015
RIP #Faten_Hamama We have lost such a talented, inspiring and a great person. To the legend, always and forever. Rest In Peace.
— Karim Kamel (@KarimKamelz) January 17, 2015
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said Egypt’s arts scene had “lost one of its principal pillars.”
“Faten Hamama will remain as one of the icons of Egyptian and Arabic fine arts that has contributed to forming and elevating Arabic awareness,” Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said in a statement.
Hamama often starred in films with Omar Sharif. Born a Christian, he converted to Islam to marry Hamama and described her as the only love of his life.
They divorced in 1974 when Sharif launched a career in Hollywood.
