Cairo: Popular Egyptian actress Rajaa Al Jeddawi died at the age of 82 after suffering from coronavirus.
Al Jeddawi was infected with the virus in May and was undergoing treatment at Abu Khalifa Hospital in Ismailia.
Her daughter, Amira Mokhtar, announced her death on Facebook, BBC Arabic reported.
Al Jeddawi was born in Ismailia in 1939, under the name of Najat Ali Hassan Al Jeddawi. She moved to live with her aunt, the artist, Taha Karioka, in Cairo after her parents separated while she was still young.
Her aunt enrolled her in a boarding school, where she mastered a number of languages.
Al Jeddawi first appeared in the movie “Ghariba” with singer Najat in 1958, after which she continued her artistic contributions for more than 60 years in cinema, television and theatre.
She married Egyptian football player Hassan Mukhtar and had a daughter Amira.
Among her most famous works were the movie "Rumour of Love" with Omar Al Sharif, Souad Hosni and Youssef Wehbe; "Al Bayeh Al Bawab" with Ahmed Zaki; and the plays "Alwad Sayed al-Shaghal" and "Al-Zaeem" with Adel Imam.
Al Jeddawi's last artistic appearance was in the series "The Game of Forgetting", which was broadcast during Ramadan 2020. After its completion she announced that she had contracted the new coronavirus, and was subsequently admitted in a quarantine hospital in Ismailia.