Legendary Egyptian singer and film star Shadia died at Cairo's Galaa Military Hospital aged of 86 after a long struggle with illness, according to Ahram Online.
Born in the iconic Abdeen district of Cairo, Shadia made her ascent, becoming one of most prominent film stars of her generation from the 1950s to the 70s.
The actress, who made her debut in 1947 at the age of 16, appeared in over 112 films, 10 radio serials and one hugely popular play “Rayya and Sakina”.
It was director Ahmed Badrakhan who first spotted her talent at a competition for actresses. Born Fatima Ahmed Kamal Shaker, she was reportedly given the screen name Shadia by director Helmy Rafla.
Her movies have become classiscs of Egyptian cinema, including El-Zouga El-Talattashar (The Thirteenth Wife, 1962), Shea' Min El-Khouf (A Bit of Fear, 1969), Al-Liss Wal Kilab (The Thief and the Dogs, 1962) and Meraty Modir Am (My Wife is a General Manager, 1966) among others.
She worked alongside top actors including Mohamed Fawzy, Abdel-Halim Hafez, Anwar Wagdy, Kamal El-Shennawy, Emad Hamdy, who was also her first husband, and Salah Zulfikar, her third and last husband, to whom she was married between 1967 and 1969. She retired in 1986, after a prolific career leaving her mark on Arab music and cinema.