The former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, revealed sad moments in the life of the late Egyptian international actor Omar el-shiref From the beginning of their friendship until his death and his visit to his grave last month (July 2022).
In an article in a local newspaper on Tuesday, Hawass stated that Sharif’s infection with Alzheimer’s disease began a year before his death, when he went to be honored at a film festival in Russia. There, British actress Jacqueline Pesset discovered that he was behaving strangely, so she called the minister and reported her concerns about what was happening to his friend.
rapid mental decline
He also confirmed that Omar underwent a medical examination and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, to return to Egypt and stay in a hotel, but his mental state was rapidly deteriorating.
In a situation that brought them together for dinner, the representative told the minister that he misses a friend of his who does not remember his name, but he works in dirt and stones. Hawass answered him: “Is his name Zahi Hawass?” The artist replied, confirming that this is his name.
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass
Who is Faten Hamama?
In addition, the former minister denied the truth of everything that was reported in the media about Sharif’s sadness after the death of Faten Hamama, because when he told him of her death, he replied, “Who is Faten Hamama?” When he informed him that she was the mother of his son Tariq, he asked: “Tariq is my brother?”
He pointed out that the artist’s illness and the deterioration of his condition caused him problems with the hotel staff, so Tariq transferred him to another hotel.
Omar Sharif with Faten Hamama and their son Tariq
He was buried next to his granddaughter
As for the funeral scenes? the sheriffHe confirmed that his son wanted to hide the funeral date from the media, to avoid the stampede that happened at the funeral of his mother, Faten, which caused the coffin to fall. A limited number of individuals were informed of the funeral date at the Mosque of the Field Marshal Tantawi.
He also revealed that Omar Sharif had recommended before his death that he be buried next to his late granddaughter in the cemetery of Fahmy Pasha, which is the burial of the famous Fahmy family, the ex-wife of his son Tariq.
He touched upon his visit to the artist’s tomb for the first time on July 14 (2022), at the request of his friend Mark Morano, the former American consul who ended his service in Egypt.
The body is in another grave
He also said that the burial guard informed him that the family moved the body of Omar Sharif and his granddaughter to another grave due to the suffering of the tomb from groundwater, pointing out that Mark Morano noticed the absence of a sign referring to the tomb of Omar Sharif, but it turned out that it is present, but it was not suspended for the same reason related to with groundwater.
It is noteworthy that Omar Sharif died on July 10, 2015 at the age of 83, after presenting nearly 120 artworks. He won 3 Golden Globe Awards besides being nominated for an Oscar once.
He also participated in many films in the United States, Britain, France and Italy, in addition to his distinguished works in Egyptian cinema before his launch to the world.